Eventide
by Emilia Christine
Summary: Life in Hawkins was simple and good. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. But for Melissa, everything changes when her friend Barbara Holland, and Will Byers end up missing. And from then on, she's caught in a tailspin of one weird thing after another, which includes befriending a strange young girl named Eleven. First installment.
1. The Perfect Life, Shattered

Hello everyone! So, this is a story that I have been planning for the past month, or so. This is the beginning of a series, that will span the same length as the show. I'm really excited about this story, and the series in general, so I hope you all enjoy it as well! You can follow the main blog on tumblr, _eventideseries_.

 **Rating:** T for basics; language, mild violence

 **Pairings:** only canon pairings. This series will eventually lead into a Steve x OC pairing

 **Warnings: mild violence, mentions of blood, guns, smoking, language will be a little more intense (which means quite a few f-bombs)**

* * *

Chapter One The Perfect Life, Shattered

"You say that I'm paranoid. But I'm pretty sure the world is out to get me _"_

 _\- Linkin Park_

* * *

Hawkins, Indiana

November 6th, 1983

….

Nancy placed a finished flashcard down in a pile and blew out a breath. "Okay, that's thirty."

On the opposite end of the bed, Melissa quietly read through her biology journal, barely paying attention to what her cousin was doing. A few hours earlier, Melissa had arrived for their study date. Each of the girls had a big test during the upcoming school week. They wanted to make sure that they were well prepared for them. To help narrow down her studying, Nancy opted for creating flashcards. While Melissa chose to just read through the pages of notes she took during class.

Melissa could only cast a side glance at the growing pile of flashcards. She could already feel her head spinning at the thought of writing out all those flashcards. "You know, just reading your notes will suffice. That way you don't have to sit around, writing those out all night."

Nancy ignored her and picked up a blank flashcard. "This helps me to really focus on the important info. Besides, reading through our notes is just a big info dump, it's just going to make you confused."

That's what everyone says, especially their teachers. Melissa immediately thought back to studying tips that her biology teacher had given them. One, don't wait until the last minute to study. And two, _don't over study._ That would just jumble everything together, and leave the person confused. Well, she didn't wait until the last minute. She's been studying, on and off, for the past two weeks. As for over studying, she might be guilty of that.

Melissa hummed to herself, then returned her gaze back to her notebook. "As long as I get by in my classes, I'm fine with that." She said as she started to mindlessly chew on her thumbnail. She could feel Nancy's eyes on her, prompting Melissa to turn her head to look at her. "What? I'm still passing everything. You stick to your method, and I'll stay with mine."

"If you want to call it a method, suit yourself," Nancy said, smirking afterward.

Melissa balled up a piece of paper and tossed it at her cousin. Both girls snickered, before falling silent again.

Muffled, excited yells broke the silence. It was coming from the basement, where Mike and his friends have been holed up, playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Nancy gave a small eye roll at the sound they were making, but Melissa merely chuckled. Between the two of them, Melissa was incredibly tolerable of Mike, and the boys. That often meant that Melissa would listen to them babble on about their game, nodding her head, not understanding a word they were saying. But, it was just nice to see them excited about something.

The phone next to Nancy's bed rang, causing both girls to jump in surprise. Nancy leaned over to her nightstand to answer the phone. "Hello?" After a pause, she smiled. "Hey, Barb."

"Hi, Barb!" Melissa called out, her eyes still skimming through her biology notes.

Nancy gave her cousin a light glare, "Mel says hi."

From downstairs, she could still hear the commotion continuing. Something must have happened during the game. Only a few minutes later, footsteps could be heard trotting up the stairs, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Dustin standing in the open doorway.

"Hey," Melissa dropped her journal to look at Dustin, who had a grin plastered on his face. "We're heading out, you guys want the last piece."

Nancy simply ignored him, but Melissa felt a sudden rush go through her.

" _Shit,"_ she sat up in bed, bringing her wrist up to look at her watch. She was late. Dammit. "I gotta go, Nancy."

Her cousin turned away from the phone, only for a moment, to say, "close the door on the way out, please."

Melissa pulled her books into her backpack, then slung the bag over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow." She called back at Nancy, who gave her a quick wave as she continued her conversation on the phone. Melissa stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and glanced down at the pizza box in Dustin's hand. "I'll take the last piece."

Dustin gladly opened the pizza box, offering the last slice to her. Melissa picked up the piece and nodded her thanks. Then, they both made their way downstairs. Dustin went to discard the empty pizza box, while Melissa was stopped by her Aunt Karen.

"You know it's fifteen past, right?" She informed, one of her eyebrows had cocked up, as she put away leftovers.

Melissa nodded as she shrugged on her coat. "Yeah, I know. There was a lot of studying going on. Lost track of time." She walked around the counter and placed a quick kiss on her Aunt's cheek, and said a quick "goodnight" before making her way to the garage door. When she opened it, Mike was already out there, with his friends, and she caught the tail end of Lucas' sentence.

"He's a real douchebag."

That was incredibly blunt. Taking another bite of her pizza slice, she stepped forward. "Whoah, hey, who are you talking about now?"

Lucas gave Melissa a long look, as the name slipped past his lips. "Steve."

She scrunched up her nose, thought about it for a moment, then said, "Oh, yeah. You're right."

"See!" Dustin exclaimed. "Your cousin even agrees with us."

"Hey, wait a minute, I'm just being bias." She said, in an attempt to defend herself. "Nancy's my cousin, of course, I'm going to be critical of who she dates."

"Then, why don't you talk to her about it?" Lucas asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Nancy isn't going to listen. She's gonna do what she wants."

"She used to be cool," Dustin spoke up. "Then, she became a jerk once she started dating Steve."

"Hey," Melissa warned, though she made sure that her voice wasn't harsh. The last thing Melissa wanted to hear was any of them talking about Nancy like that. She saw it from their point of view, and she understood where they were coming from. But, it didn't mean they could just say things like that. "Come on, you guys should start heading home. Don't want your parents to wait any longer."

Dustin and Lucas said quick goodbyes to Mike and Melissa, before riding out of the garage. Will stayed behind for a few more moments, exchanging words with Mike. Something about the game that they were playing, Melissa didn't pay much attention to it. She was too busy fixing the hem of her jacket. Finally, Will said goodbye to both of them and followed Lucas and Dustin down the road.

Melissa stepped forward, finishing up the slice of pizza, watching as the boys disappeared. "So, how was the game?"

Mike quietly shrugged. "It was fine."

"Fine? You sound so unenthusiastic, how was it just fine?" She questioned, and looked down at her cousin. That was surprising. They were always so enthusiastic when it came to their game nights. The fact that it was just 'fine' seemed unusual

"We didn't get to finish it." Mike clarified.

"Oh," she responded. The word was drawn out for effect. Then, she clicked her tongue. "Well, it's okay, you guys can always finish up the game next week."

"But, it took us two weeks to plan for this one, and we couldn't even finish it."

Okay, she could see why he felt the way he did. "Well, is it alright if I make a suggestion?"

Mike waited for her to continue.

"Next time, when you plan your next game day, don't have it on a Sunday." Mike's face fell, his eyes just staring at her. But, Melissa merely laughed. "I'm just saying. If it's on a Saturday, you don't have to worry about school, yeah?"

Mike refrained himself from saying anything. It was hard for him to keep a straight face when he saw her smirking. Of course, Melissa would give him the most obvious suggestion. However, he couldn't say that it was a terrible suggestion because she was right. "We'll make sure to do that next time when we plan."

Melissa regarded him for a moment, then ruffled his hair, which he tried to dodge, but was unsuccessful. "Okay, well, you better go get ready for bed. Your mom is already gonna be on your ass for going fifteen past."

Mike casually nodded his head, almost like what she told him just went in one ear, and out the other. "Yeah, okay."

"No, don't just nod your head, and say okay," Melissa said. "I know you like to talk with Lucas on your radio, but not tonight."

"I know." He replied, this time there was a little more of a fervent tone in his voice.

The light fixture above them flickered. The two of them looked up at the source, watching as it flickered a few more times, before stopping. They stood in place, a little perplexed by what just happened.

"That was kind of weird," Melissa commented.

When she peered down at Mike, he was staring up at her, brows creased. In response, she offered a faint smirk. "Go inside and get ready for bed." Immediately after, she wrapped an arm around Mike, pulling him closer to her and planted a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Love you, bud."

Melissa heard a small mumble that sounded like 'love you, too', which had been his way of repeating the meaningful statement. Before, when he was much younger, Mike was more declarative with it, now it was more reserved. But, she didn't mind it.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She released her hold on him and started down the driveway.

"Night, Mel!" Mike called out, and she gave a quick wave of her hand.

As she walked the few blocks to her home, Melissa could spot Dustin, Lucas, and Will on their bikes, their laughter and yells filled the chilly air. Then, Lucas split from the group, turning down his street. Up ahead, Dustin and Will continued on their bikes. And she was able to get one brief glimpse of them as they disappeared down the street. After another block, Melissa finally arrived home. As she walked up to the front door, she found herself praying that her parents wouldn't rip into her too much about being late.

As she stepped through the door, the sound of paws pattering against the wooden floor greeted her. Around the corner, Harley, their German Shepherd, came barreling down the hallway after her. In a swift motion, Melissa knelt to greet him. "Hey, buddy! How are you?" Her question was only answered with several slobbery kisses. "Good boy."

She stood up and motioned for him to follow. The light in the kitchen was still on, and she could hear someone was moving about. Upon entering, she saw that her father was cleaning up dishes, and putting away leftovers.

With great trepidation, Melissa eased into the kitchen, stuffing her hand into her coat pocket. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, Mel," He kept his attention on the dishes that he was washing. "There's a plate in the kitchen if you're hungry."

He didn't know mad, which was good. "Nah, it's fine." She reached down to scratch Harley's head, "is mom still working?"

"Yeah. She'll be late tonight. Just like you." This time, her father stopped washing dishes to look at his daughter.

Melissa shifted her stance and gave a shrug. "I know, I'm sorry. I was studying and I just lost track of time. I promise it won't happen again."

Again, he wasn't angry. He just smiled, shook his head. Not saying anything else in that moment. On the second floor, footsteps ran across the hallway, followed by the sounds of laughter. Jessica and Sarah.

"Are the girls still not in bed, yet?"

Her father was putting the last dish away and shook his head. "Last time I checked up on them, they were brushing their teeth. That was about ten minutes ago."

"I'll go make sure that they get to bed." Melissa went to leave when her father spoke again.

"Mel, don't be late next time."

She nodded. Relieved that he wasn't going to lecture her tonight.

After giving her father a quick goodnight, she started up the stairs, with Harley trailing closely behind her. Halfway up, the little footsteps continued in the hallway, followed by giggling and hushed voices. By the time she reached the top, she spotted Jessica running into the bathroom.

"Hey, girls," she spoke up, and the giggling instantly stopped.

Melissa stood near the bathroom threshold, peered in, Jessica and Laura were standing in the bathroom together. Jessica was brushing her teeth, while Laura was playing with the toothpaste. "How are you two still up?"

Jessica turned to her sister, toothbrush still in her mouth, and the nine-year-old only shrugged at her sister's question.

Melissa couldn't exactly scold them for this. It was like a nightly ritual between the two youngest girls. And Jessica would always be the one to start it, then Laura would follow suit. "Alright." Melissa stepped into the bathroom and gently took the toothpaste out of Laura's grasp. "It's time for bed."

Melissa placed her hands on Laura's shoulders and peered down at her. "Did you brush your teeth?"

The young girl nodded, quietly.

While ushering the youngest out of the bathroom, Melissa paused behind Jessica and ruffled her hair. "Finish up, and then it's straight to bed."

Jessica hummed out her response.

Melissa allowed herself to be guided into the bedroom by her youngest sister. Jessica and Laura still shared a bedroom. But, ever since their brother Aiden moved out, her parents have been planning on moving Jessica into his old room. The girls were getting older, they're going to need their own space soon.

Melissa helped Laura into the bed and tucked her under the covers. Laura wrapped her arms around Melissa's neck, in a tight hug, which was always her way of saying goodnight to her.

Melissa planted a quick kiss on Laura's forehead. Then moved to Jessica, who had just settled herself into her bed. After tucking her in, she gave her a quick kiss and said goodnight to both of them. She proceeded to turn off the light and closed the door.

Melissa quietly made her way to her bedroom, and gently shut the door behind her. Dropping her bag on the chair, Melissa worked off her coat and hung it up in the closet. After changing into her night clothes, Melissa plopped down on her bed, with her biology journal, determined to study a little more before going to bed. However, within about thirty minutes, her eyelids grew heavy. And soon, she was fast asleep.

* * *

At 5:30 in the morning, the house was buzzing with activity.

Melissa made sure that she was up and moving, in order to beat her siblings to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, and then spent the next hour in her room, relaxing on her bed. Trying her best to not fall back asleep. At around seven, Melissa was called down by her mother for breakfast.

The entire family settled in at the table and dug into their breakfast.

About ten minutes into their meal, the phone rang, and Julie, Melissa's mother, got up to answer it. Out of the corner of her eye, Melissa saw that Laura was having trouble pouring syrup on her toast.

"Hey," she reached over and took the bottle from her sister. She noticed that there was already a good amount of syrup on her plate. She eyed her sister, curiously. "Don't you think there's enough syrup on your toast."

Laura eyed her plate and then gave her sister a side-glance. "No."

Melissa could only snicker at her sister's deadpan response, then nodded. "Okay, you can have a little bit more." She said, then proceeded to pour a small amount over her toast. "We don't need you to have a sugar high before going to school."

Laura eyed the bottle carefully, as Melissa poured only a tiny amount. She wasn't too thrilled about it. Melissa made sure to put the bottle well out of Laura's reach.

"Mel,"

Melissa glanced up. Her mother gestured her over, with a phone in one of her hands.

"Your Aunt wants to talk with you.

 _What?_ That was weird. It was only on rare occasions when her Aunt called this early in the morning. Despite the initial confusion, Melissa got up from the table and took the phone from her mother. "Hello?"

" _Hey, Melissa, I was wondering if I could ask you something?"_

Something about the way her voice sounded, it concerned her. And she tried to keep an even tone as she spoke. "Oh, yeah, of course."

" _When you were on your way home last night, did you notice anything…strange?"_

 _What kind of question is that?_ Melissa moved behind the threshold that led to the living room, that way she was out of view from her family. "Um, I don't…what do you mean by strange?"

" _You saw the boys on your way home, correct?"_

That questioned unnerved her. Did she want to talk about the boys? "Yes, I did." Her hand clutched the phone tighter.

" _Did you happen to see anything out of the ordinary?"_

"Uh, no. I saw Lucas get to his house, and then Dustin and Will continued on with their bikes. Everything was fine, nothing was out of the ordinary." She could hear a small hum from the other end, but Karen didn't say anything, which was unsettling. "Is there something wrong?"

" _Uh, well, Joyce just called me and asked if Will had stayed over last night."_

"Will wasn't home this morning?"

" _No. But, she said that he probably left early for school."_

That had to be it. "Yeah, I mean I know he's done it before. I'm sure that he's fine."

" _Well, if you don't mind, can you just keep an eye out for him."_

"Yeah, I definitely will."

Melissa placed the phone back down on the receiver. She remained in her spot, facing the phone. Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip. _Will wasn't home this morning._ This was definitely unusual. In an unguarded moment, Melissa started to doubt herself. Maybe something _did_ happen on the way home, and she just didn't notice it.

On her way back to the table, she ran through everything she saw that night. Dustin, Will, and Lucas were riding their bikes. There was a good amount of distance between her, and the boys, but she could still see everything that was going on. And there was _nothing_ wrong. Nothing was out of the ordinary. She didn't hear anything unsettling. If anything did happen to Will, it must have occurred when he was closer to home, which didn't make her feel any better

She took her seat at the table and sat in silence. She didn't even resume finishing her breakfast.

"Is everything alright?"

Her mother's question brought her back to reality. And she noticed that everyone at the table was staring at her, painfully curious as to why Karen had called this morning, and why she had wanted to speak with Melissa specifically.

"Did you get in trouble?" Jessica asked, with the most mischievous look in her eyes.

"Jessica, honey, eat your breakfast." Their mother stopped her from asking any further questions. The young girl only shrugged her shoulders before continuing her breakfast.

"No, I'm not in trouble." Melissa first addressed her sister's question, then she went on to answer her mother's. "It was about Will. Apparently, Joyce called this morning asking if Will had stayed over at Mike's last night."

The statement made Melissa's parents stare at her with growing concern.

"By putting two and two together, that means Will wasn't there this morning. But, Joyce said that he probably just left early for school."

"But, why did she want to speak to you about it?"

Melissa picked at the food with her fork, losing her appetite. "I saw the boys, on my way home last night. She wanted to know if I noticed anything was off. But, everything was fine."

Melissa's statement, combined with what they knew about Will, it confused everyone at the table. "Well, hopefully, it's not serious." Her mother said.

"I hope so too."

When breakfast was completed, all the plates, except for Melissa's, were empty. She was too busy thinking about Will, hoping that all of this was not as serious as she thought it was.

As Julie was dropping her daughters off at school, she reminded Melissa that on the walk home, to stick together. She could only roll her eyes. She always made sure that her sisters were never out of her sight. Yet, she couldn't blame her mother for this overly cautious attitude. Something about this whole thing wasn't sitting well with her. If Will had left early for school, he would have said something. Either to Joyce, or Jonathan. He wouldn't just bail out of the house without saying anything. That wasn't like him.

When they arrived at school, Melissa made sure to watch and make sure that her sisters entered the middle school. Perks of having the high school and middle school right next to each other. But, it made her feel silly. They were at school, with hundreds of other kids. Nothing was going to happen to them.

She was definitely just over thinking this whole thing. Yeah. That was it.

"Calm down." She told herself as she began the walk into the high school.

The first stop she made was her locker. She needed to switch out books for her first few classes. At this point, this whole thing with Will has stored away to the back of her mind. The upcoming Biology test overtook everything. Suddenly, she felt a small pang of panic. The test was on Friday, and she was in no way ready to take it. It was just nerves. That's all it was. But, she could hear Nancy's voice in her mind.

 _Cramming in all that info isn't going to help you._

Melissa merely rolled her eyes and shook the thought from her mind. She'll be fine. As long as she spends the next few days studying, she'll pass the test.

"Hey, Mel." Barb greeted as she leaned against the locker, opposite of Melissa.

Pulling out her biology book, Melissa smiled at her friend but noticed something off. Then, she realized. "Where's Nancy?"

Barb perked up an eyebrow and glanced at Melissa over her glasses. "She got a note to meet a particular person in the bathroom."

Melissa's reaction was instantaneous; an eye roll, and the most drawn-out sigh she could conjure. "Isn't that the most romantic thing to get," she added, sarcastically. "Getting a note from a guy to meet him in the bathroom." She finished with a grimace.

"And yet, Nancy just tried to convince me that it's not that _serious_ between them."

"That's such bull," Melissa added, followed by a small laugh. She eyed Barb curiously. "I mean, what do you think about her and Steve being together?"

Barb nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders, but Melissa could tell that she did feel a certain way. "I mean, Steve's the 'it' guy around here. The one that all the girls want to be with."

 _Oh, he's already hooked up with a few girls._ "That doesn't exactly answer my question, Barb."

"Okay, well what do you think?"

"He's not my favorite person," Melissa replied with ease. Almost like she had been waiting anxiously to say how she felt. "Not exactly thrilled that Nancy's hooking up with him. Hell, even my cousin and his friends think Steve is a douchebag."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?"

Melissa closed her locker and leaned against it. "Of course, I did. I was honest with her about what I thought," she paused, thinking back to the conversation she had with Nancy not even a week ago. It didn't end on a positive note, but Nancy was well aware of how her cousin felt about it. "I'm not her mom, you know, I can't force her to do something that she doesn't wanna do. So, I decided, I'm gonna stay out of it, and let Nancy do whatever the hell she wants. And if that means dating Steve, then so be it. I just hope she doesn't become friends with Tommy and Carol."

At the mentioning of their names, Barb elicited a scoff, relieved that Melissa felt the same way. "If she does, we definitely need to intervene."

Then, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the first period.

….

The first four classes went by at a snail's pace, as it usually did on Mondays. It was difficult to stay awake for a majority of them. When the bell signaled the start of lunch, Melissa hurried out of class and met up with Barb, immediately. Fortunately for both of them, their fourth-period classes were across from each other.

Nancy was late getting to the cafeteria. She was probably meeting up with Steve. Whatever the reason, Melissa and Barb got their food, and sat down at their usual table, carrying on a conversation. Then, it happened. Nancy and _Steve_ sat down at the table with them. It was manageable. She could tolerate him. But, two more people joined the table, and Melissa strained herself from giving the biggest eye roll.

Tommy and Carol. A couple that Steve always hung out with. And they just happen to be two of the most insufferable people at their school. And they were sitting at the table with them.

The two of them didn't notice the change of mood with Melissa, which was good. The less attention they paid her, the happier she was. Instead of joining in on the group talk, Melissa started organizing through her biology notes, deciding to polish up some of the details. She wouldn't have done this regardless. But, the fact that she was trying to avoid talking with certain people at the table, she was willing to do anything that made her look preoccupied.

"Is she seriously studying at the lunch table?"

Melissa continued with marking through her notes but clenched her jaw at the sound of Carol's voice. _Don't direct your words towards me. Please._

"Hey, Mel."

This time it was Nancy who was speaking to her. But, she didn't stop. Melissa only gave a faint nod in her cousin's direction. "What?"

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" She quickly turned the page, not breaking her eye contact from the notebook. "I'm polishing up my notes for the test this week."

"You can always study at home. You don't have to do it at lunch." Tommy just had to throw his own two cents into this conversation.

As much as she didn't want to acknowledge them with an answer, Melissa spoke up. "Yeah, well, I want to at least try and get a decent grade, unlike _some people_ who just don't give a shit."

The entire table went quiet. The last part of her sentence was directed right at Tommy and Carol. She knew how they were when it came to school work. They couldn't give two shits about it. Melissa had Carol in math the year before, and she always had an attitude towards the teacher, never took anything seriously. Yet, they made remarks about how they were failing certain subjects.

Melissa just _couldn't imagine why._

"Seems like someone has a real stick up their ass."

She could hear them both snickering at the comment that was made. And just by the noise, she could envision the snarky looks on their faces. God, they were such pain in the asses.

In response, Melissa pulled herself together, and focused her gaze on them, using every ounce of her being to keeping a straight face. "No, I don't have a stick up my ass." She started, her voice was calm and leveled. "But, you know, there's a lot going on, starting with two _unbearable_ thorns that are really digging into my side right now."

For a brief moment, the three of them stared at each other. The other occupants were just waiting to see if a full-on verbal altercation would occur. In which Nancy was already geared up to stopping it. But, nothing happened. Tommy and Carol remained quiet, their faces frozen as they regarded Melissa. She was just waiting for them to say something else. But, when Melissa heard a light snort from Barb, she settled back in her chair and returned to her notes.

The rest of lunch was spent with an uncomfortable tension in the air. Tommy and Steve tried to cover it up with their conversations. And Melissa could feel Carol's eyes burning holes into her skull, but she completely blew it off.

When lunch ended, Melissa casually gathered up her belongings. "Do you feel a lot better?" Barb whispered to her.

She answered with a huge grin. Melissa slung on her backpack as she and Barb left the cafeteria together.

By the time school ended, Melissa had nearly forgotten what occurred at lunch. As she walked back to her locker, out of nowhere, she thought about Will. She only hoped that he was actually at school and that he was fine.

"Mel,"

Melissa peered out from behind the locker door and saw Nancy walking towards her. "Hey." She greeted, quickly.

"Are you okay?"

That was a pretty random question. "Yeah," her answer was drawn out, as she gave her cousin a side glance. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"It's just, lunch wasn't exactly the most thrilling thing today."

Oh yeah. That whole incident. Just thinking about it made Melissa snort. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Nancy's eyes widened as she gave a half shrug. "Yeah, well, apparently Tommy and Carol don't think everything is fine."

Melissa paused to turn to her cousin, "Am I really supposed to care about what those two think of me? Because I really don't."

"No, I'm not saying that. Trust me, I'm not big fans of them either."

Melissa could hear the further implication in Nancy's voice. The unsaid words were asking, why she had to go and give that kind of attitude and say those things. But, there was a whole lot more Melissa could have said, but didn't. She could have gone off on them in some kind of calm, frenzy. But, she didn't, which took great restraint on her part.

She closed her locker, giving Nancy her full attention. Despite the fact that those two deserved it, Melissa felt like she owed Nancy some kind of explanation. "Okay, listen, I can tolerate Steve, and you know he's not my favorite person in the world. But, those two are the most exasperating, and shallow people at this school, and they just happen to be friends with the guy you're dating. So, for you, I can try and be civil with Steve, but Tommy and Carol are not getting one ounce of my consideration. And if they don't like it, then they can sit at another table."

Nancy was always someone who wanted peace. Granted, with her brother Mike, there was always some form of bickering going on. But, when it came to her social circle, peace and harmony were her two favorite things. And while she was surprised at the exchange during lunch, she was telling the truth when she said that she wasn't their biggest fan. In fact, she preferred it if Tommy and Carol weren't always hanging around Steve, but what could she do? That's why she did take some joy in what happened, though she was very good at concealing it. But, she let it show this time. Nancy offered Melissa a cordial smirk and then nodded her head.

They were both on the same page.

Melissa was relieved. She fully expected Nancy to lecture her, and ask her to be civil with them. Thank god, it didn't come to that.

They both split up. Nancy was going to meet Steve, while Melissa had to hurry to the middle school to meet up with her sisters. Before leaving, Nancy made a decree that she would try and call Melissa later that night. It was a light promise.

Exiting the high school, Melissa made the quick trip across the main road to the middle school. It wasn't long until she saw Mike walking his bike, and walking alongside him, were her sisters. Laura seemed to be telling Mike a story, as she was being really animated in her movements, and Mike was listening very intently.

"Hey," Melissa greeted the group once they were close. "How was school?"

"Good." All three of them answered in unison.

"There was a glue fight during class today!" Laura exclaimed, with the most amused look in her eyes as she recounted it.

"A glue fight?" Melissa internally groaned. "Did you get any in your hair?"

"No." Laura patted her head, checking her hand for glue. "I wasn't in it. But, the other kids were."

Melissa blew out a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm proud of you."

Lucas and Dustin appeared next to Mike not long after. That's when she noticed that Will wasn't with them. Her face immediately dropped as she stared at the boys. "Did Will not show up?"

They all hesitated, clearly worried about their friend. "No," Mike answered. "But, the police came earlier. The Chief."

Her brows shot up as she slowly nodded. "What did you tell him?"

"Told him the road that he took to get home."

Mirkwood. Or what it's actually called, the intersection of Cornwallis and Kerley. The boys gave it that name a while back, and now it has been seared into her brain as Mirkwood. People always look at her really funny when she calls it that.

"We want to help them find Will."

Mike's statement made Melissa blink several times. "Uh." She looked at the three boys, seeing that they were actually serious. "That's not happening. The last thing any of us need is for either of you boys to go missing."

"It just got really bad, didn't it?" Dustin asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When the police get involved, that means something serious happened. That means Will really is in trouble, right?"

What was she supposed to say? Confirm the possibility? No. She didn't want to worry the boys, or her sisters, even more. Besides, there is still hope that they will find him. "I'm sure Will is fine. You guys know him better than me, he's smart, he's resourceful. I'm sure he's okay."

None of them supported her claim. While they were hopeful, she could see a shadow of doubt cast over their features. "You guys better start heading home."

The boys nodded as they mounted their bikes, ready to ride off. "Go straight home." She added, but none of the boys answered. That didn't sit well with her. These boys were more than capable of dismissing what she said, and doing the exact opposite.

"Hey," she tried again, putting on her 'mom voice', which they all famously dubbed it as. This time the boys stopped to look at her. "I mean it. Go straight home, don't take any detours, and don't go looking for Will. Got it?"

"Yes." They all answered together.

* * *

There was no walk home.

Instead, Melissa's brother picked them up from school.

Their mother had called Chris' work, asking if he could get off early. It wasn't exactly something that his boss wanted to hear, but he granted the privilege. Their mother was just worried. With Will being 'missing', she thought it was better to be safe than sorry. And she didn't feel comfortable with the idea of her three girls walking home. But, Melissa couldn't help but feel annoyed by it all.

It was during the day, everyone was out running errands. Nothing was going to happen to them.

Regardless, she let her mother have this win.

On the way home, they had to stop at the grocery store. Their mother had a late shift tonight, so Melissa and her brother would have to make dinner for the family, which was fine. They had done it several times before.

After they purchased what they needed; beef, tomato sauce, and pasta, they all packed into the car, and headed for home.

The first thing they did when they got home was put the purchased ingredients away. Then, it was time for school work. Melissa and her sisters retreated to their bedrooms to start on it. She made sure to keep her door open, in case her sisters needed help on something, which happened a lot.

Two hours passed. It was time for them to get started on dinner. Their sisters spent about ten minutes watching the television, before they wandered into the kitchen, just itching to help with the cooking. Letting their younger sisters help cook, always resulted in chaos in the kitchen. Most of the time, that chaos meant that there would be food splatters everywhere. Mini food fights were a common thing when it was just the four of them in the house.

Even though it was entertaining, there was always a mess that had to be cleaned up by the end of it. And that was always Melissa's job. While it did annoy her, she'd rather clean it up, then have her parents come home to a disaster of a kitchen.

By the time the food was done, their father arrived home. A little earlier than usual. But, it wasn't uncommon. Melissa served up five plates, which Chris brought to the table. She filled up the last plate, making sure to leave behind a decent portion for her mother. Then, she took her seat at the table.

Dinner was normal. Conversations were simple and short. Laura felt that it was necessary to bring up the glue fight that had happened in class. Something about how one of the kids 'accidentally' got glue on a girl's shirt, and it all went downhill from there. It was a rather entertaining story, especially with how animated Laura gets when she tells stories.

The mood was light and comfortable. That is until her father brought up Will.

He took a drink from his glass, eyeing Melissa next to him. "Have you heard anything about Will, yet?"

"No." She said, using her fork to pick at the noodles. "Mike told me that the Chief went to the school today. He talked with Mike and the other boys."

"What did he say?" Chris asked, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

Melissa tiredly shrugged. "Not much. He told them what street he took to get home. But, as far as I know, there really hasn't been any progress. I mean before, I thought maybe it wasn't that serious. But, now that the police are involved...I guess it is."

It was all so bizarre. Not even twenty-four hours earlier, Will was fine. She saw him, spoke with him, watched as he rode his bike home. _Everything was fine_. And now, he's missing. How was any of this supposed to make sense?

Melissa glanced over at Jessica and Laura, her tongue pressed against the inside of her cheek. If it could happen to Will, it most definitely could happen to them as well. They all just had to be careful. At least, until they find Will.

"Are they going to find him?" Laura spoke up, her voice sounded so small, worried.

"Of course, they will," Chris answered, very confident with what he said. "They won't stop until they do."

"Are we going to go missing?"

Melissa reached over to brush back Laura's hair. "No, you aren't. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I promise."

Laura's question did unnerve the others at the table. While the severity of this situation wasn't known, their father felt that he needed to set some ground rules. "Until Will is found, you all stick together when you go out. No one goes anywhere alone, especially when it gets dark."

That was reasonable enough. Although, Melissa didn't think any of them would be going anywhere at night. Especially, the younger girls.

When dinner was complete, Melissa and Chris cleaned up the dishes. She made sure to make a plate for her mother and placed it in the refrigerator. Afterwards, she retreated to her room, with Harley following closely behind. Harley took his place on Melissa's bed, while she sat down at her desk and pulled out her notebook. There were only a few more days left before her test. She wanted to get as much studying done as she could.

About an hour in, her phone rang. She thought about letting it ring. But, she chose to answer it. She got up from her desk, with her notebook, and sat down on her bed. Without taking her eyes off the page, Melissa reached over and answered the phone. "Hello?"

 _"This is such bullshit."_

Melissa was taken back by Nancy's brash statement. "Uh oh." she turned the page, not skipping a beat. "What happened, Nance?"

 _"I'm practically on house arrest, and Mike told my parents about Steve."_

That was a quick info dump for her. "Okay, wait a minute," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I need you to take a few steps back. First off, why did Mike tell your parents about Steve?"

 _"Because he got pissed at me."_

"Okay," Melissa could have figured out that much. "So, what did you do?"

 _"I told mom that I wanted to out tonight, but she said no. As long as Will is missing, we're not allowed out after dark. And then I got pissed...and said something that I shouldn't have."_

Melissa paused. The tone of Nancy's voice concerned her. She slowly raised her head, until her eyes were focused on Harley, who was sleeping at the foot of her bed. "What did you say?" She asked, her voice dripping with hesitation.

 _"Basically, that we were under house arrest, all because Will got lost on the way home."_

Melissa cringed, scraping her teeth across her bottom lip. Now, she understood why Mike was pissed at her. "That's messed up, Nance."

 _"Yeah, I know."_ She sounded apologetic about it. It was a real spur of the moment thing, fueled by annoyance and frustration.

Melissa blew out a tired sigh. "Well, I mean, I get why your mom is like that. My dad just laid down that same rule tonight at dinner." She tapped her pen against the binding of her notebook. "They're just worried that something might happen to us, I mean, we can't really blame them for it."

 _"I know. It sucks that I can't even go out once it gets dark though. I was just gonna go to Barb's place."_

Melissa hesitated, her eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Were you really going to Barb's? Or were you planning on going to hang out with Steve?"

Silence.

But, Melissa merely smiled. "I think I have my answer."

 _"Okay, fine. Yeah, I was going to hang out with Steve,"_ Nancy stopped herself from continuing the sentence. _"It doesn't matter. I can't go anyway, so there's no use in complaining about it."_

Melissa settled against her pillows, letting out a content sigh. "So, what are you going to do now?"

 _"Just study here. Might as well since there's nothing else for me to do."_

Cinching her lips to the side, she offered a small alternative. "Do you want me to come over? I can keep you company. And we can help each other study for our big tests."

 _"Thanks, Mel. But, I think I'll be fine. Besides, parents' orders, right?"_

They both laughed quietly.

 _"I'm gonna go now, a lot of studying to do. I'll see you tomorrow, Mel."_

"Night, Nance."

* * *

 **A/N:** This was a pretty slow chapter, acting more as a setup than anything else. But, we all know that everything will start to pick up next chapter.


	2. The Girl from Mirkwood, Part One

Big thanks to Marloweee1856 for beta reading this and turning my trash into something that is readable!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Stranger Things.  
**

* * *

Chapter Two | The Girl from Mirkwood, Part One

"Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off"

-Samuel Johnson

* * *

Melissa was stationed in the student parking lot, leaned up against her brother's car, with a cigarette resting between her lips. Her brother had the night shift tonight, which meant that she was able to take the car to school. She absolutely relished the times she was able to drive herself to school. There was a driver's license in her possession, but, she didn't do a lot of driving.

In her mind, it felt like such a waste.

She had arrived a little early, and while her sisters dashed off to the middle school, she stayed behind in the parking lot. Hoping to get a few smoke sessions in before class starts.

She took in a long drag, and breathed out, watching the smoke swirl into clouds in front of her face as it rose in the air. As she glanced around, she was surprised by the normalcy of everyone around her. Will's disappearance didn't seem to hold any sort of meaning with these people. Granted, it's only been a day, still, in a small town where nothing like this happens, Melissa thought that everyone would be somewhat alert, or freaked out.

 _No. They don't give a shit._ She thought to herself, bitterly.

Taking one last moment with her cigarette, Melissa dropped it to the ground, stepping on it for good measure. Then, she started for the school.

When she passed the main parking lot, she glanced over at a familiar face. This made her pause. It was Jonathan Byers. In an instant, she felt her mood change. It felt like the air grew thicker just by the sight of him. And she debated with herself; should she go over and say something, or just leave him alone?

Melissa had known Jonathan for as long as she'd known Will, which was a long time. But while Mike and Will were best friends, Melissa and Jonathan were more of friendly acquaintances. She'd seen him and interacted with him several times over the years. Whether it was him picking Will up from Mike's home, bumping into him in the school hallways, or somewhere in town. He was a really nice guy. Quiet, shy, kept to himself most of the time, which didn't bode well with the jerks that attended their school. She heard the whispered conversations they've had about him. Casting him as the outsider, the weirdo, someone that you would want to stay away from.

It was all bullshit. And it was coming from people who didn't take the time to talk with him. But, she knew him, albeit not incredibly well, she still knew him.

She sucked in a deep breath, using it to stable herself, then strode across the parking lot towards his car. The entire time she was praying that she wouldn't make things awkward. God, that was the last thing either of them needed.

Jonathan had his back to her. He was shuffling through some papers in his bag. And for a few seconds, Melissa just stood behind him, trying to think of the right things to say. Also, she probably looked like a complete idiot just staring at him.

Finally, she found her voice. "Hey, Jonathan."

He straightened his back, and turned to the source. Clearly, he wasn't expecting anyone to approach him. "Hey."

And in the worst possible moment, Melissa's mind went blank. She widened her eyes as she continued to stare at him, mouth agape, but nothing was coming out. What was she supposed to say?

 _Just say something._

"I just wanted to say sorry." That was such a _lame_ thing to say to him. _Pull yourself together, Hughes._ "I'm just really sorry about...all of this." Poor choice of words. She knew it because Jonathan didn't say anything back, he just nodded. She needed to salvage this conversation, if it could even be considered that. "How's your mom doing?"

"She's managing." Jonathan made sure to put emphasis on the last bit. "It's just been really hard, you know?"

"Yeah." She scratched at her head. "And, what about you? How are you doing?"

There was a moment of hesitation. Jonathan had been so focused on making sure his mother was in the right head space. Throughout this whole ordeal, he hadn't given much thought to his own well-being. "Just trying to keep my head up. Keep myself grounded and focused. I don't want to lose myself in all of this."

"Yeah. I mean I can't imagine what this must be like for both of you. I mean just the thought of my sisters, or my brother..." She paused. The last thing Melissa should be doing was trying to relate to this. It just didn't work. And it put focus on a non-existent feeling. His brother was the one who was missing, not her siblings. It was just creating a false connection with him. "Have you heard anything yet? I mean, do the police have any leads?" She quickly moved the conversation along.

"No." He shook his head, his thumb brushed over copies of the 'missing' posters of Will. "Hopper thinks that Will might be with Lonnie, but my mom just thinks that he's wasting his time with that."

Ah, yes. Lonnie. A man that Melissa never knew that well. Only from what she could gather from the things Will has mentioned over the years. He and Joyce divorced a few years back and he left Hawkins not long after. Not the most upstanding guy, but Melissa couldn't forge much of an opinion on him. It wasn't her place.

"Well, it's worth checking out. If he's not there, then at least you'll be able to cross off that possibility."

"Yeah."

He sounded incredibly doubtful. Jonathan and Will's relationship with their father was strained and unhealthy. While it was logical to exhaust every possibility, he couldn't find the logic of Will running away to be with their dad. For one, the last they heard from him, which was a year ago, he was in Indianapolis. God knows if he was even still there. Second, what reason would Will have to go with their father? Jonathan, much like his mother, did feel that it was just a waste of time. The probability of Will not being there was extremely high.

Melissa noticed some of the other students casting looks at her. Confused looks. As if thinking, why was she even talking to this guy? She bit her tongue, refraining herself from telling them off. At least, not with Jonathan standing right in front of her.

Instead, she focused on him, finally noticing how tired and worn out he looked. If only there was more she could do for him. "Look, I know this may not help much. And I may not be as close to Will as you, or Mike, but I do know enough. And Will is really smart, and resourceful. He'll know what to do. And the police are going to find him. They're going to bring him home. You just hold onto that thought."

It was somewhat comforting. While he did appreciate it, Jonathan had a sickening feeling that this won't be the case. Of course, he was hopeful that his brother would be found, _alive._ And while he tries to ignore it, and fight it, there is a small inkling that fills him with dread when he does acknowledge it. What if they don't find him? Or if they do, what if it's not the rescue they had been hoping for.

Reluctantly, she glanced down at her watch, seeing that class would be starting in about five minutes. "Um, I have to go. But, if there's anything I can do to help, please just let me know."

"Yeah. Yeah, I will. Thanks."

Now, she had to depart on a good note. So, she said that first thing that came to mind. "Have a nice day."

"You, too."

That went better than she was expecting.

However, the reality of what she said to him hit her like a ton of bricks. Giving her best smile, she turned and started for the main entrance. Once she was out of his sight, that's when the self-berating started. Her eyes narrowed as she recounted the last thing she said to him. "Have a nice day?" She whispered to herself. "What the _fuck_ was I thinking? Have a nice day?" She finished with a scoff. Why did she think it would be a good idea to tell him that? His brother was fucking missing, and she was stupid enough to tell him to have a nice day.

When she made it to her locker, she wasted no time. Melissa pressed her forehead against the locker door, and just stood there. Thinking of a dozen other things she could have said to him. They all would have been better compared to what came out of her mouth.

"You're stupid, Hughes," she whispered to herself. "So. Fucking. Stupid."

The bell rang.

She quickly grabbed her books, and slammed the locker shut. The only thing she wanted was a distraction so she could forget about what took place only a few minutes prior.

Melissa felt a hand gently grab her shoulder, making her jump. When she saw that it was Barb, she rolled her eyes at her own skittish reaction.

"Oh, sorry," Barb gave a sheepish shrug. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't _scare_ me." Melissa retorted.

"Right." Barb replied. The word sounded so mocking coming out of her mouth. While it was a light tone, Melissa still didn't find it funny. "Has Steve tracked you down yet?"

"What? No." Melissa raised her gaze to level with Barb. The fact that Steve would even want to find her, means that something was going on. "Why on earth would he track me down?"

"He invited Nancy, and I guess us as well, to his parents' house tonight. They're out of town, so he's gonna throw a little party. Tommy and Carol are going as well."

"Wow." Her eyes widened for effect, then she let out a small, distasteful hum. "Doesn't tantalize me at all. The last thing I would ever do is submit myself to a social gathering where the three of them would act as hosts." Actually, if it was just Steve who was hosting, while Tommy and Carol are nowhere near the event, then yeah, Melissa would probably attend. She could handle Steve's antics and mannerisms. But, the other two. God, no.

"Has Nancy decided if she's gonna go yet?" Melissa asked once she and Barb were standing outside her first class.

"She didn't say anything. But, I have a strong feeling that she's going to go."

No parents. Big empty house. Lots of alcohol, no doubt. And the fact that Steve was known for being quite promiscuous. This wasn't sitting well with her whatsoever.

….

As soon as first period was over, Melissa charged out of the classroom with only one thing on her mind. Find Steve. She knew that during the switch to second period, he always stopped at his locker to switch out books. She could catch him there.

The entire walk to Steve's locker, she repeated to herself, _act civil._ It was like a mantra in her mind. Besides, she wasn't going to him looking for an argument, she just had a few things that she wanted him to be aware of.

A few feet ahead of her, she spotted Steve, just about to reach his locker. She picked up her pace, and called out for him. "Harrington!"

Steve paused momentarily to see who had called his name, and his expression was nothing but surprised when he saw who it was. "You calling for me, Hughes?"

Melissa huffed out a heavy breath as she came to a stop next to him. "I need to talk to you."

He _was_ surprised. But, it was underlined with a real smugness, something that made her roll her eyes. "Oh, you need to talk with me? Never thought I would see the day when you _voluntarily_ track me down."

"Yeah, don't get used to it."

They both only had a few minutes before their next class starts. Might as well just work fast to get this over with. After dialing in the locker combo, Steve gave her a side-glance, "what can I do for you then?"

"I want to talk to you about this little _party_ that you're throwing tonight."

"Oh, yeah," he pointed over at her. "Almost forgot, you're more than welcome to come over for the festivities."

"No thanks. Not interested. I didn't come here to talk about the invite, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about Nancy."

This piqued his interest, and for a split moment, there was a flash of concern in his eyes. "Nancy? Why, what happened?"

"Nothing is wrong with Nancy. That's why I'm here, to make sure that it stays that way."

Any semblance of brief concern he had was gone now. Instead, he tilted his head, fully preparing himself for what was going to be coming out of her mouth. She could sense that he was already annoyed, so she mimicked his posture.

"Listen, I promised Nance that I would try and tolerate you, for her sake. So, this is me being serious with you." He raised his eyebrows in response. "I can tell that you just want to get into Nancy's pants. I know that's how you are because there has been a lot of talk about your previous relationships, that have turned out to be true." She paused, waiting to see if there would be any genuine reaction. There wasn't really. Just a deadpanned look from him.

"We don't have that much time, Hughes."

"Fine." She retorted, and leaned against the lockers. "Long story short, I know what you're thinking. And I know what you hope to achieve by inviting her over to your house tonight."

"Hughes...come on."

"I'm not fucking stupid, Steve. Are you kidding? You invite her over to your house while your parents are out of town? What other _possible_ reason would you do that, besides wanting to hop in bed with her?"

He could have denied it. He could have gotten defensive, and tried to convince her otherwise. Instead, he remained quiet, foot tapping insensibly on the floor, and a look on his face that made it seem like he'll walk away from her at any moment.

Melissa rubbed at her mouth, then cleared her throat before continuing. "Look, I'm not here to dictate what you guys do, or don't do. Nancy is allowed to make her own decisions. But, if I find out that you did anything to hurt her, I'm going to make sure that your ass gets handed to you."

Steve hummed in amusement. Something that agitated her even more. He wasn't taking her seriously, and nothing pissed Melissa off more than when someone blows off her concerns. "That's a very bold statement."

"I'm being serious Steve." She stepped closer to him, reaching an arm out to stop him from messing around in his locker. That way, she would have his full attention. And it worked. "The last thing I want to see is my cousin getting hurt by some guy."

"Okay, listen." Steve gently moved Melissa's arm out of the way, so that it was no longer blocking him. "This is me being serious with you. I know that I'm not your favorite person in the world, and to be honest, you're not mine either. But, the one thing we both have in common is Nance. And I can assure you that the last thing I ever want to do is hurt her."

She regarded him for a moment, repeating his words in her head. A part of her wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt. The biggest concern both she and Barb shared was the idea of Steve pressuring her into sleeping with him. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to talk about with her cousin, but Nancy didn't trust her mom enough. So she turned to Melissa, who had experience in the realm of relationships.

 _Don't do anything unless it's something you are absolutely sure about._ That was the most vital piece of advice Melissa gave to her, because that's where she screwed up in her own relationship.

She cringed at the memory, also making sure that her change of mood went unnoticed by Steve. From down the hallway, Tommy and Carol were making their way towards Steve. That was her cue to leave.

Melissa leaned away from the lockers, and gave Steve a pointed look. "I hope you're right, Harrington. I really do."

….

The rest of the day turned into a game of how many stares could Steve and Melissa throw at each other. They never brought up the conversation from earlier. In fact, they never said anything to each other for the rest of the day. Lunch was same way it has been for the past week-with Melissa remaining quiet and gritting her teeth every time Tommy or Carol opened their mouths.

Nancy noticed that Melissa was quiet, which wasn't weird for her. The growing tension between Steve and Melissa, however, was. It ranged from stares, to extreme lengths of avoidance. No, Melissa didn't tell Nancy about the little conversation she had with Harrington. She didn't deem it important. But she did hint to Barb about it, and that was it. No reason to make a big deal over it.

Last period ended. School was done. Melissa did her usual exchange of books at her locker, only taking the ones she needed, before walking out of the building. She'd just walked out of the building when Barb called out her name and rushed over to her. She paused and turned around, "Hey, what's up?"

"I need to talk to you," Barb said, a little breathless from the jog over.

"Okay." The two of them started walking towards the student parking lot. "What's going on?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"A few things. Why?"

Barb sighed. The amount of annoyance that was permitting from her was alarming. "Nancy just mentioned it to me. But she wants me to go with her to the party tonight and I was just wondering...if you could come with us as well."

"Oh, I can't. I have to babysit tonight, and I'm having dinner with Nancy and her family."

That wasn't the answer she was hoping to hear. Barb hesitated, thinking if it would be too much of her to ask if Melissa could just drop out of her commitments tonight. "Is there any way you can just-get out of it? Maybe get your brother to watch your sisters?"

"I already told my parents I would babysit. My brother has plans, and I can't just bail on dinner." Melissa was never one to bail on commitments, especially ones that she made to her parents. Besides, she wasn't just babysitting. She was also having dinner with her family tonight. It would be a little rude to just cancel at the last minute. "Why do you want me to go anyways?"

Barb rolled her eyes, as if Melissa should have known the reason. "Because Nancy is going for Steve. Tommy and Carol are their own thing. And I don't want to be the only one without someone."

"Even if I didn't have plans tonight, I still wouldn't go."

"Why not?"

Melissa laughed through her nose and shrugged. "Because I just don't want to. Do you?"

Barb hesitated. "No."

"Then why are you even considering going?"

"You know why. It's because of Nancy. I don't want her to get into trouble, or make any mistakes."

Melissa closed her eyes and gently shook her head. "Barb, you're not her babysitter."

This was something that was one-hundred percent Barb. She was always outspoken about the choices that Nancy made. She also talked it up to just being worried about her, but there were times when Melissa had to calmly tell Barb to just back away a little bit. It was almost as if in her mind, Nancy wasn't supposed to make any mistakes. And that was where Melissa and Barb diverged in their ideology.

Melissa waited until they were at her car. Then she turned to Barb. "Okay, look. I get that you're worried, and honestly, I kinda am too. But I'm not her mother, and neither are you. We can't keep hovering over Nance, trying to influence the choices that she makes. She's old enough to make them, and the only thing we can do for her is to just be there when she needs us."

Barb tilted her head, giving Melissa her infamous 'are you serious' look. "You don't honestly think it's a good idea for her to go there tonight, do you? I mean, you know how Steve is. He just wants to get into her pants."

Melissa shrugged. "I mean, yeah, probably. As much as I don't like him, I don't think Steve would do anything like _that_ to Nancy." God, she hoped not. He seemed to be a decent enough guy to not force her into a situation where there is no way out. A chill went down Melissa's spine, and she forced the thought out of her mind. "Look, if you end up going, you don't have to stay long. And if Nance decides to... you know," she paused, waiting for the implication to sink in. When it did, she continued. "Then that's her choice Barb. We can't force her to do something she doesn't want to do."

It was never something that Barb wanted to accept. Melissa always felt as if Barb considered it her job to watch out for Nancy. It wasn't like Melissa didn't care, she did. But, she wasn't going to chaperone her cousin during every aspect of her life. She's got to learn it on her own.

Cinching her lips to the side, Barb raised her brow and said, "Are you sure you can't go tonight?"

Melissa offered a thin smile, and shook her head. "Like I said, you don't have to stay long. And when you get home, depending on the time, call me. And you can just vent as much as you want."

With the arrival of Melissa's sisters, the conversation ended. The two girls took their places next to Melissa, waiting for her to unlock the car doors. Though, she reminded them of their manners, and they both gave a quick greeting to Barb.

"Okay, well, we need to head home." She gave Barb a reassuring look, reminding her that everything was going to be fine. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Barb nodded, then slowly backed away from the car. "See ya, Mel."

* * *

A few hours later, and Melissa was at the Wheeler's residence. Just in time too. The minute she stepped in, Karen called from the kitchen that dinner was going to be ready in a few minutes.

Melissa helped Laura shrug out of her jacket, and placed it on the coat rack along with her own. Jessica had been dropped off at a friend's house before Melissa arrived. The young girl was rather adamant about spending the evening with her friend, rather than family. Melissa didn't want to put up a fuss, so, she allowed it. Reminding the young girl that she would be picked up at eight.

Laura trotted into the kitchen, with Melissa following closely behind. Karen was bustling around, getting everything prepared. Glancing over into the dining room, Melissa could see that she had already set up the table.

What was she supposed to help with?

"Is there anything I can help with?" Melissa finally asked.

Karen glanced up, her mouth parted, and gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, there is actually. Holly was acting a little fussy earlier, so I put her down for a nap. Could you go and check up on her?"

"Yeah, sure."

As Melissa headed for the stairs, she heard Karen tell her to let the boys know that dinner was ready. Easy enough. The first thing she did was check up on Holly. When she entered the room, the three-year-old was wide awake in her crib, waiting for someone to get her out of it.

As she peered into the crib, Holly already had her arms out to her. Melissa obliged and picked up the toddler. "Are you in a better mood, now?" she asked, balancing the toddler on her hip.

Holly only stared at her with wide eyes, and gave a small smirk.

Melissa smiled, her eyes widening for effect. "That's good because it's time for dinner, and we don't want you getting fussy during dinner, now do we?"

Holly shook her head.

Melissa then made the short trek down the hall to Mike's room. Standing outside his bedroom door, all she could hear were frantic, hushed voices. She craned her head to see if she could make out what they were saying. It didn't work.

She knocked against the door. "Mike?" The voices instantly stopped. "It's me, Mel." She tried turning the door knob. Locked.

 _"Just a second!"_

Again, she could hear Mike and the others talking, this time much quieter, but she could still hear the intensity in their voices. _What the hell are they doing?_

There was a thud that came from the bedroom. "Mike?" Melissa said again.

The door cracked open, startling Melissa. All she could see was Mike, just barely poking his head through the opening. "Hey," he said with a lopsided grin.

"Hi," she responded, her brows furrowed at his reaction. "Um, is everything okay in there?" Melissa tried peering into the bedroom, but Mike was trying to be subtle, and block her view.

"Yeah. Everything is fine."

Just then, Lucas and Dustin appeared behind Mike, both sporting huge smiles. They gave Melissa awkward waves. She tried her best at conjuring a genuine smile. "Okay. Well, dinner is ready, so you all come on down."

"Okay. We'll be right down."

With that, Mike shut the door, leaving Melissa standing in the hallway, perplexed by what just happened. She brushed it off, for the time being. Melissa brought Holly down to the dining room, where Karen was setting up the food. She placed Holly down in her seat, and went to help Karen finish setting up.

When the boys finally came down, Melissa kept her eye on them. They appeared to be acting normal. But, she couldn't shake off what happened upstairs. It was just weird. To top it all off, they were oddly quiet. Playing with their food, and not saying anything, not even talking to each other.

Dinner started off normally. Most of it was spent in silence as everyone dug into their food. As she took a bite, she eyed the boys, quietly. Their eyes remained on the plates in front of them. Occasionally, they would take a drink from their glass. Aside from that, they would just remain still. She would have blamed this behavior on them being worried about Will, but she's known these boys for years. And from that, she has sharpened the art of picking up subtleties from their mannerisms. To the point where it seriously annoyed the boys.

Karen even noticed their silence. The boys had yet to touch their food, they merely picked at it with their forks as if it were some sort of science experiment.

"Is there something wrong with the meatloaf?"

Her question cut through the silence, it made Melissa jump.

Dustin glanced up at Karen, sporting a smile. "Oh, no. I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch today. Not really sure why."

"Me too." Lucas said, giving a small shrug. Then, they both returned to their previous state: quiet and focused on their plates.

What the hell is going on with them? Melissa leaned closer to Lucas, eyeing both him and Dustin. "Are you guys okay?" she whispered.

Both of them nodded. Not saying anything to back it up.

"So, there's this special assembly thing tonight, for Will, at the school field. Barb's driving."

All of her attention moved onto Nancy, who was talking to her mother.

"Why am I just hearing about this?"

"I thought you knew."

Melissa lowered her gaze, trying to keep herself focused on the food in front of her, but making sure to keep up with the conversation.

"I told you. I don't want you out after dark until Will is found."

"I know, I know. But, it'd be super weird if I'm not there. I mean, _everyone_ is going."

 _Not everyone._ Melissa thought as she took a drink from her glass.

Karen relented. "Just be back by ten. Why don't you take the boys?"

"No!" All three of the boys spoke up.

Melissa saw that it had startled Laura, who was looking at the boys with wide, confused eyes. She placed her hand against her back, giving gentle rubs. "It's okay," she whispered, trying to comfort her. "Finish your food."

Then, something came into view. It was just a blurred figure, moving around in the outer part of her vision. But, it was enough to catch her attention. She looked up, and much to her bewilderment, she saw someone. A kid. Walking from the staircase, towards the basement door.

 _What the fuck?_

Her mouth parted, in an effort to say something, but nothing came out. On instinct, Melissa began to slowly rise from her seat, in order to get a better look at the person. Then, two loud bangs startled everyone at the table. But, it was a swift kick to her shin that disrupted Melissa's attention.

"Ow!" She sat back down, her eyes turning to the person responsible for the kick.

Dustin.

"Sorry. It was a spasm."

Melissa moved her hand down to the affected leg, hissing as she rubbed at the sore area. But, spared another look in the direction where she had seen the person. They were gone. Of course. Now, her mind was all over the place.

There was a kid in this house. A kid that Melissa had never seen before. And they came from upstairs. Who was that? And, why the hell are they in Mike's house?

Melissa paused, her face frozen in thought. She thought back on what happened upstairs. The boys were talking in hushed, _frantic_ tones. The thud she heard from his bedroom.

It couldn't be.

Taking a moment, she glanced over at the boys. All of them were still a little riled up. Mike had milk all over his face, and Dustin and Lucas were purposefully avoiding her gaze.

It was true. They knew who this person was. Why else would Dustin create a distraction, and kick her in the shin?

Leaning back in her seat, Melissa's eyes were dead set on Mike, who was too busy cleaning off his face. When he finished, he glanced up and was met with a serious, deadpanned look from his cousin. He felt his whole body freeze. He's seen that look before. It was one she has given him many times when he did something stupid, or if he was in trouble.

Then, she mouthed the words, "I saw."

 _Oh shit._ One thing that was definitely for sure. He and the boys were screwed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, this kinda ended on a cliffhanger. I was going to do one big chapter, but I didn't like the transitioning, so I decided to split this up. Hope you all are excited! A review would be greatly appreciated!


	3. The Girl from Mirkwood, Part Two

Again! Big thanks to Marloweee1856 for beta reading this chapter and helping me make it enjoyable!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Stranger Things.**

* * *

Chapter Three | The Girl from Mirkwood, Part Two

"Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness"

-Euripides

* * *

 _"She won't stop looking at us."_

Mike, who was gathering up the place mats, spared a look into the kitchen. Melissa was helping his mother with the dirty dishes and leftovers. It was a split second, but he saw what Lucas was talking about. Melissa gave a single, hardened stare in his direction before resuming her task. He turned back around, letting out a quiet breath.

"What are we going to do?" Lucas asked, tucking in one of the chairs. "Should we try and get her out of your house?"

"What would be the point of that?" Dustin interjected.

The boys huddled closer together, speaking at a volume only they would be able to hear. "My advice," Dustin continued, looking at Mike. "I think we should tell your cousin everything."

Lucas vehemently shook his head. "No way, if we tell her then we're doubly screwed."

"Well, there's no point in trying to hide El from her," Dustin pointed out. "She _saw_ El tonight, she knows that there's someone else here. Trying to hide El would just be a waste of time. Besides, she's older than us, maybe she can help."

"She's only older than us by four years," Lucas, annoyingly, pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's four more years of wisdom and knowledge that _we_ don't have. We're just kids, we're in way over our heads with this. If things get really bad, or really dangerous, it would be nice to have someone else on our side. Someone who may know what to do."

Mike remained silent, tapping his fingers against the table, seriously considering this option. But, Lucas was the only one who remained doubtful. "How do we know that we can actually trust her with this?" Lucas said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Out of all of Mike's family members, Mel is the one least likely to really freak out."

Dustin wasn't lying. Outside of his group of friends, Melissa was the only person Mike trusted with anything. While she tended to worry a lot, she always came through with a clear head and willingness to help. Granted, Mike has never been in a situation like this; hiding a girl who ran away from bad people. Maybe if he were to explain the whole situation in detail, Melissa might form some kind of empathy for El and would end up wanting to help.

It was a long shot. But, Mike felt like he was willing to take it.

The boys finished cleaning the dining room and Mike stored the placemats in the drawer. After much hesitation, they ventured into the kitchen to help put the rest of the leftovers away, carefully avoiding Melissa's gaze. They were purposefully ignoring her. Each time they brushed past her, their heads hung low. It was _irritating._ She almost wanted to call them out right then and there. She had to bite her lip to refrain herself from saying anything.

"Mom, I'm leaving now!" Nancy called from the main hallway.

Melissa's head snapped up and checked her watch. 7:15. Barb was outside waiting for her. Melissa dropped everything she was doing to catch Nancy before she left. "Hey, Nance."

Her cousin was by the door, shrugging on her coat and in a bit of a rush to leave. Melissa stuffed her hands into her pockets, not really knowing what to say. She had a feeling that Barb was going to give Nancy some form of lecture on the way to Steve's house. No reason to bombard her with a pre-lecture. "Just—have fun. And please, don't do anything stupid. Alright?"

Nancy laughed as she pulled open the front door. She quickly adjusted the collar of her jacket. "I promise I'll be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Melissa said nothing. She only watched her cousin skip out the front door and jog across the lawn to Barb's car. Melissa took a moment, noticing that Barb was looking right at her. Even from the house, she could see the anxious look on Barb's face. Melissa raised her hand in a small wave. After Barb waved back, Melissa closed the front door just as Karen was coming out of the kitchen.

Karen had Holly in her arms and she was already starting to put up a fuss. "I'm going to give Holly her bath and put her to bed. Can you finish up in the kitchen?"

Melissa nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

Before Karen left, Melissa planted a quick kiss on Holly's forehead. Once Karen was upstairs and out of sight, Melissa made her way back to the kitchen. The boys were still there, standing near the counter. The sight of her made all three of them go still.

She took in her surroundings. Ted was in the living room, snoozing away in his La-Z-Boy chair. And Laura was there, sprawled out on the couch, watching T.V. As long as they were quiet, no one would hear what they were saying. Melissa stepped forward, gesturing for the boys to do the same. Each of the boys looked nervous, scared even. They expected her to turn right around and go tell Karen what she saw. And she had the mind to do that. But, first she wanted to hear from _them._

"Are you guys going to tell me who I saw during dinner?"

The boys hesitated. They hadn't agreed on a plan, which was either to tell Melissa everything or lie their way out of it. She noticed it too. The way their eyes narrowed in thought, Mike tapped his fingers against his leg which was a _clear_ sign that he was anxious. He only did that when he was considering lying to someone.

"Don't try to lie your way out of this," she warned. "I _saw_ someone come downstairs and go to the basement. Oh by the way, kicking me in the shin didn't help either." She looked directly at Dustin during the last bit. The boy only gave a sheepish grin. "You boys need to tell me what the hell is going on."

Silence.

Lucas and Dustin were waiting for Mike to make the first move. Whether it was to lie or tell the truth, they would follow whichever choice he made. Mike was at a loss, however. He assured Eleven that he wouldn't tell anyone she was here. She trusted him. The last thing on his mind was to betray that. But, Melissa _was_ different. She wasn't his mom or his sister. She could help them or she could end up telling someone.

The silence wasn't promising. Melissa assumed the boys were conjuring some convoluted lie to tell her. "Okay," she finally spoke up. "If you're not going to tell me, then I'm gonna tell your mom what happened tonight."

"No." Mike reached out to grab her arm, stopping her from going upstairs. He had to do this. There was no other choice. "I can trust you, right?"

 _What on earth?_ Melissa gave an exhausted sigh. "Mike, just..."

"Can I trust you?" he asked again. The fervor in his voice rendered her speechless. He had a look in his eyes that spelled out two things: seriousness and desperation. It worried her tremendously.

"Mike, you know that you can always trust me."

The tension in his shoulders eased and he nodded. "Fine. We'll tell you everything we know." He turned to look at the leftovers sitting on the counter. "We were going to bring down a plate for her."

 _Her?_ So it was a girl who was hiding in his basement. Her hands cupped her face and she used every ounce of her strength to not flip out in the kitchen. "Okay. You boys go down in the basement and I'll be there shortly."

She stepped aside and allowed the boys through before she proceeded with the food.. It required a certain level of stealth. While Ted could seemingly sleep through anything, she didn't want to take the chance of waking him. On a plate she piled on a few pieces of the meatloaf, some mashed potatoes and vegetables. Halfway into the task, she paused and huffed out in her own confusion. She was making a plate for some random girl, who Mike possibly sneaked in during the night. "This is crazy," she said, continuing with finishing up the plate. She poured out a glass of milk and placed all the items onto a tray.

There was a feeling of trepidation as she quietly made her way to the basement door. She paused for a moment to gather herself. No matter what she was about to hear, she couldn't lose her cool. She had to be calm in order to make decisions, because the fact a girl was hiding in Mike's basement called for some big decision making.

Taking in a deep breath, Melissa opened the basement door, took the first few steps and gently closed the door behind her. Venturing further, she saw the boys standing in front of a makeshift blanket fort and inside was a young girl, staring at her with scared eyes. Mike took noticed and muttered a few calming words to her.

Melissa stood at the base of the steps, staring at the girl, not believing what she was looking at. It was real. There was literally a girl hiding in her cousin's basement. How the hell does this happen?

Mike took the tray from Melissa's hands and set it down in front of the girl. "It's meatloaf. It's actually pretty good."

But the girl was not interested in the food. She was too preoccupied with the fact that this person knew she was here. But there was something familiar about her. It took her a moment, however, Eleven finally made the connection. This was the same girl she had seen in a photo earlier.

Mike had skipped school earlier that day and decided to take Eleven on a tour of his home. In the living room, she became intrigued by a bunch of photos lining the fireplace mantle. The first one she noticed was of two girls sitting at a table together.

Pretty. She remembered that they were pretty.

 _"That's my sister Nancy and my cousin Melissa."_ Mike pointed to each one. Their faces were permanently carved into Eleven's memory.

"Melissa." El whispered to herself.

The girl in question was still in the same place; at the foot of the steps, watching her cousin interact with this mysterious girl. "Okay." Her voice was scratchy when she finally spoke. "You boys better start explaining what's going on."

Mike pushed the tray closer to Eleven, encouraging her to eat, then stood up, ready to tell Melissa everything. "Okay, just promise not to freak out."

"That is a horrible way to start this, Mike."

He didn't waste any time. "Last night...we went out to look for Will." Mike waited, fully expecting Melissa to completely freak out. With the way her eyes widened, like they were about to fall out, he fully braced himself for it.

"You went out last night! All three of you?"

"Yes."

Mike's answer was so casual, Melissa felt like she was about to lose her mind. "Mike, what were you thinking? You three were told my several people to not venture out."

"I know! I know, but we're fine, nothing happened."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache coming on. "That's not the point, Mike." She took in a few breaths, trying to calm herself. "Just...go on."

"We rode our bikes out to Mirkwood. We wanted to find Will, but we ran into her instead."

Resting her fist beneath her chin and glanced over at the girl, who was quietly eating while keeping a strict eye on the group. "She was just out there, in the woods, in the rain."

"Yes. We couldn't just leave her there. So, we brought her back here."

"Okay, so why didn't any of you tell someone about this?"

"We wanted to," Lucas spoke up, gesturing to him and Dustin. "We wanted to tell Mike's mom."

"But El told us not to tell anyone that she was here," Mike said.

Melissa finally had a name to go on with. "Why not?"

"She said that bad people were looking for her. And if we told anyone," Mike paused, well aware that this part of the story would surely push Melissa over the edge. And the silence was unnerving. Melissa brows rose, waiting for him to continue. "If we told anyone, then we would...we would be in danger."

"Danger?" she asked. Mike nodded. "D-danger? What kind of danger?" She had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

"This kind." Dustin formed his hand into a gun shape and raised it to his head.

 _What the ever loving_ … "W-wait… no, no, no." Melissa started pacing, a hand pressed against her forehead, just trying to process what she just heard. How was she supposed to react? This was _not_ what she expected to hear. "Hold on a second." She came to a stop and faced the boys. "You mean to tell me that there are people out there-bad people-who are looking for _her_?" she pointed over at El. "And if they find her here in your house, they're just gonna-what, pick us off?"

"I think it's safe to say, yeah," Dustin answered.

She stared at them, wide eyed. Dustin was so casual about it-about the looming threat of being gunned down by the people who were hunting El. "How the hell are you boys so casual about this?" Melissa yelled. She then shook her head. "No. No way, Mike. I-I need to tell someone."

Melissa headed for the stairs, but Mike was quick. He ran around the game table and grabbed Melissa's arm, tugging her towards him. "No, you can't tell anyone."

"Mike this is crazy!" She leaned closer to him, hoping to talk some sense into him. "How can you think this is a good idea? The longer she stays here, the more likely they're going to find her."

Mike blinked. He never really thought about that.

"And if they do find her here, what do you think is gonna happen? We're all fucking screwed. They're not gonna let us walk away with a warning. I have to tell someone."

"She knows about Will!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Earlier, she saw a picture and recognized him. She knows about Will and I'm sure that she knows where he is.."

She was doubtful, but willing to take the bait. "Okay, if she knows where he is, has she told you?"

"Well, no."

"Oh, yeah that's just great." A hand pressed to her forehead.

The grip he had on Melissa's arm tightened. "She knows. And we can't tell anyone that she's here, if we do they'll find her and we won't be able to find Will."

"Mike, if she knows where Will is that gives us _more_ reason to tell someone, the police, ideally. We have to come forward with this."

"Mel, you said that I could trust you. Please, you can't tell anyone about her. Please."

This was an impossible situation. Melissa was the adult here. The most responsible thing to do was tell someone. This girl had a target on her back. People-extremely _dangerous_ people-were looking for her. Sooner or later, they would find out where she is. She couldn't even begin to imagine what they would do to the boys and her family. But, it also begged the question, what about this girl was so important? To the extent that these people were willing to hurt or kill anyone to get to her.

"Why her?" Melissa's question threw the boys into a stump. She asked again. "Why are they so hell bent on finding her?"

Mike thought back to earlier, when El used her mind to slam and lock his bedroom door. She was different. Unlike anyone. "We don't really know why, but she's not like anyone we know, or you know."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"She has abilities," Dustin spoke up.

Melissa cocked an eyebrow. "Abilities?"

"She closed the door earlier with _her mind,_ " he said, pointing to his head. "It was actually pretty cool."

Did they think she was stupid? Or very gullible? A part of Melissa thought this was just some extravagant lie they made up to throw her off their case. However, as she assessed each of their reactions, it was genuine. Her eyes flickered over to El, who was still watching them, not saying anything on the matter. "This is a joke, right? You boys are just testing me, aren't you?"

Mike frowned. It was a lot to take in, he understood that. "Why would we lie about this? Of all of the things we could have lied about." It would've been a long stretch. He already agreed to tell her everything. _If_ they were going to lie to her, it wouldn't be like this.

She searched for it. Any sign of a smirk, laugh, anything that would signal to her that this was a joke. All that she was met with were hardened eyes from each one of them.

 _Holy shit. They're serious._

Melissa took a step back, a hand covered her mouth. What the hell was was going on here? Her cousin was hiding a young girl, who escaped from bad people and she just happens to have special abilities. What in the literal hell? Now, she had to figure out what exactly she planned on doing with this information. Karen was upstairs, still bathing Holly. She could just turn around and go tell her everything. That's what she should do. However, when Melissa glanced over at the young girl, she hesitated. Why did this girl escape? Obviously these people must have been pretty harsh, but what happened? She wanted to hear from her.

After calming herself, Melissa carefully approached the makeshift tent and slowly knelt down in front of El. She was staring at Melissa with big, untrusting eyes. Melissa had to be calm and inviting. If she wanted to get answers, she was going to need this girl to trust her. "Hello… El." She cringed at how awkward she sounded with the greeting. "Is, um… is El short for anything? Like, Eleanor or Elizabeth?"

El placed down her fork and pulled up the sleeve on her left arm, revealing a small tattoo that read, 011. Melissa stared at the tattoo, an uneasy feeling settled into her stomach. "Eleven." She looked up, her brows creased in confusion. "Your name is Eleven?"

El quietly nodded and pulled the sleeve back down.

Who the hell brands a young girl with a number? That's essentially what that tattoo was. She had no idea who the bad people were, but just by that visual, she could only imagine how screwed up they were. "Okay, El," she said. "Well, my name is-"

"Melissa," El finished.

This came as a surprise. "You know my name?" As an instinct, Melissa turned to look at the boys.

"She saw a picture of you upstairs," Mike answered. "The one of you and Nancy."

Melissa knew the picture Mike was talking about. It was at one of their family gatherings a few years back. She turned back to El and smiled. "Yeah, my name is Melissa. But, you can call me Mel or Lissa, whichever you prefer." She felt too tense. Melissa situated herself until she was sitting, as opposed to sitting on her knees. "El, can you tell me where you're from? Where do you live?" She licked at her lips as El continued to stare at her. "Who your parents are?"

"Bad place," El whispered, her eyes down-casting to the plate in front of her.

"Bad place?" Melissa repeated. "You came from a bad place?"

El nodded. "Bad people. All bad people."

Melissa noticed that El's vocabulary wasn't that broad. It was very basic. Melissa tightened her hand into a fist. These people were responsible for that. What did they do to this poor girl? "Did the bad people give you that?" She motioned at El's left wrist, hinting at the tattoo she had shown her.

El nodded again.

"What were they doing to you?"

It was a question Melissa shouldn't have asked. El flinched at the painful memories. Hours of being held up in an observation room, forced to do whatever was asked of her. If she didn't, then she was punished. El closed her eyes, recalling the countless times that she was dragged back to her room, frantically calling for Papa, begging him to not have her locked in there. The sound of the lock still haunts her. And it was dark in there. So dark and quiet.

"Bad." El opened her eyes and her lip trembled. "Bad."

She didn't know what came over her. There was a swell of emotion that overtook Melissa. The way El flinched and the tremble of her lips. Melissa just made this girl remember things, terrible things. And she felt guilty. So, guilty. She covered her mouth, took deep breaths, trying to keep herself in check. "Okay," she spoke, her voice muffled by her hand. "You don't have to tell me about any of it. I'm sorry for even asking you." Melissa felt a small knot in her throat and made an attempt to clear it. "Mike told me that you recognized Will."

El finally made eye contact with Melissa, nodding her head in the process.

"Do you know where he is?"

The young girl hesitated.

Melissa tried again. "Because there are a lot of people looking for him, his family are doing everything they can to find him. So, if you can tell us anything, it would help a lot."

She wanted too. But, El wasn't sure how to explain to them. The place Will was at, it wasn't something that El has the most knowledge in. It was something she saw glimpses of when she was in the tank. It wasn't intentional. It was all an accident. But, Will was there. She just had to find a way to explain it to them.

But, how to do it?

El scouted out the room. Melissa and the boys were waiting silently for some kind of answer. And she found a way to give them one. El raised her arm and pointed to the game table. Melissa followed, seeing that El was pointing at Mike's game board. That was a little odd. She turned back to the girl and pointed in the same direction. "The game board?"

El nodded and lowered her arm.

Melissa got the hint. She quickly moved the tray to the side and stood up. She offered her hand out to El to help her up, but the young girl merely stared at it, unsure. "It's okay," Melissa assured her.

El slowly took hold of Melissa's hand, the look in the young girl's eyes made it seem like she was putting all faith into her. It was startling. Melissa had never seen anyone give her a look like that before. Melissa guided El out from the tent and onto her feet. El wasted no time. With her attention focused on the game board, she took a seat at the table, took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Lucas leaned closer to Dustin. "What's the weirdo doing?"

"Hey, come on don't talk like that," Melissa warned lightly. She then gave a small squeeze on his shoulder before approaching the table. She and Mike stood on each side of El, both staring at her.

Suddenly, El's eyes fluttered open, focused and determined. She picked up one of the game figures and held it up. "Will."

Melissa's head ticked to the side, her mouth parting in confusion. "Will?" she asked. El nodded in confirmation.

Mike took a seat at the table, clearly ready to believe whatever El was about to tell them. "Did you see him on Mirkwood? Do you know where is he?"

In a swift movement, El swiped off the other figurines and turned over the game board. The bottom was now facing up. Then, she gently placed Will's figuring in the center. In her own confusion, Melissa slowly eased herself into one of the chairs, her eyes never leaving the small figurine. "What's this supposed to mean?"

"Hiding."

"Will's hiding? From who, the bad men?"

El shook her head.

"Okay." Melissa leaned closer, her eyes glancing over to El. "If Will is hiding, and it's not from the bad people, then who is he hiding from?" El placed another figurine on the board. Melissa froze when she saw that it was a two headed creature. "What is that?"

"That's what Will is hiding from?" Mike asked.

Again, El only nodded.

The boys were freaked out. But, Melissa felt so lost in all of this. This sounded like a fabricated story. There's no way this was the truth. "Wait a minute," she paused and shook her head. "You're telling me that Will is hiding…here?" She gestured at the upside down board.

"Yes."

"And where is this exactly? Where is Will hiding? Is it somewhere that we can get to? Is it somewhere nearby?"

For the first time, El didn't give any kind of answer. It was evident that she was lost in terms of Melissa's questions. She had no idea. But, Melissa wasn't willing to leave so many questions unanswered. She needed more information. "If Will is out there somewhere, hiding, then we need to find him." The intensity in Melissa's voice caught El's attention. Her eyes, which were starting to go wide, stared at Melissa. "El, we need to know where he is. That way we can find and bring him home. Please, if you can, just tell us where he's hiding."

The young girl shook her head, wanting to say something. She didn't have the answers and it was clear that she was getting upset.

"Mel, just stop questioning her for a second." Mike came to El's defense.

"Are you kidding me, Mike?" Melissa stood up from the table, fast enough to make El jump in her seat. "She's telling us that Will is hiding _somewhere,_ whatever this is supposed to represent," she picked up the game board briefly, before tossing it down onto the table. "He's out there and there's nothing we can do because we don't even know where he is. Honestly, this sounds like something from your game."

"What, so you think she's lying to us?"

Melissa gave a huge shrug. "I don't know! I don't know what to believe, Mike. All I do know is that this is _crazy_ and this has gone on long enough." Melissa headed for the stairs, which made Mike jump out of his seat.

"You're not telling anyone!"

"Mike, be reasonable for a second. Will is out there and he needs help. Someone needs to know."

"And _you_ be reasonable," he bit back, his voice was sharp and cold. Something that Melissa wasn't expecting from him. "What are you going to say? A girl used our D&D game to tell us that Will is hiding somewhere we can't find? How do you think that's going to turn out?"

She went to say something when she fell silent. Mike actually had a good point. However, it didn't make her feel any better. In a fit of frustration, she hung her head back, covered her face and emitted a muffled groan. What has she gotten herself into? She should have just gone to Karen right away. Told her that she saw a random girl during dinner. Then this would all be over. Yet, amidst all of the confusion clouding her mind, El's face came through clear as ever. The fear and pain that was etched into her features as she recalled what happened in the bad place. This girl shouldn't have to pay for anything. But, Melissa couldn't ignore that there _was_ a threat hanging over their heads.

The biggest question now: What was Melissa supposed to do?

Without saying another word, Melissa started up the basement steps. Mike panicked and went up after her. "Where are you going?"

Melissa stopped and raised a hand up, signaling for him to stop. "Mike, please, I just-I just need a moment, okay? I need to get some air."

Melissa pushed open the basement door, taking care with how she closed it. The first thing she did was retrieve her jacket from the coat rack and stumbled out the front door. She quickly shrugged on her jacket and went to fish out the cigarettes from the pocket. She placed a cigarette between her lips, lit the end and sucked in a long breath. As she held the cigarette between her index and middle finger, she noticed that her hand was starting to shake.

"Fuck."

What the hell was going on? For a brief moment, Melissa thought she was in some sort of weird dream. Everything that occurred in the last fifteen minutes were so bizarre. There is no way any of it happened. A girl who has the ability to move things with her mind? Yeah, right. It had to be a dream. She even pinched herself in the arm, trying to wake herself up. A wave of horror came over her when she realized that she was awake, and this _was_ happening.

 _Come on, Hughes. You have to make a decision._

"Okay… okay."

She began pacing back and forth, her free hand rubbed against her forehead. There were only two options she could choose from. One, she goes back inside and tell Karen everything. Simple and, most likely, the right decision. Or two, she agrees to keep all of this a secret. But, how was she supposed to go along with this? People were looking for El. Dangerous people. If she told anyone that her cousin was hiding her in his basement, they were all screwed. But, the longer she stayed there, the likelihood that they will find her would increase. Either way, the end results are not in their favor.

How the hell was Melissa supposed to deal with this? She paused, closed her eyes and let out a hiss. "I'm too young to deal with this shit."

For the next few minutes, she stood on the concrete pathway in silence and finished up her cigarette. Her mind was racing a mile a minute with every possibility that could come out of this situation. All of them were grim and terrifying. At one point, she thought it was just her overactive paranoia making her visualize them. While that may be the case, those people were out there. And she had no way of knowing who they were.

Then, it happened again. Melissa thought back to El, everything surrounding her circumstances were rubbing her the wrong way. The tattoo on her wrist, limited vocabulary, the fact that she came from a bad place. Plus, Mike and the boys found her on Mirkwood, which means she escaped somewhere that was nearby. The idea Hawkins was harboring people who traumatized a young child made her skin crawl.

Then she asked herself. How could she do anything that could harm this young girl even more? They find out she's here, not only are Melissa and everyone else going to pay for it, but El was going to be screwed as well. They'll take her back to the bad place. They will make her life even more of a living hell. How could Melissa do that to her? No. She couldn't. And, that realization helped her make a decision. Well, it was somewhat of a decision.

Once she finished her cigarette, Melissa headed into the house and stopped at the basement door. She took a moment to compose herself, asking if this is really what she wanted to do. It was. She had to. When she walked down the basement steps, the kids were all huddled around the table. They took immediate notice of her. All of them eager, nervous. Not knowing what she was planning on doing. For all they knew, the jig was up and they were in deep trouble.

Melissa stood in front of the group, taking a moment to assess all of them. She couldn't help but think that she was going to regret what she was about to say. "Okay," she started off slow, her voice was quieter than expected. "I'll… I'm not going to tell anyone about El."

All of the boys breathed a sigh of relief.

"To be honest, I still have no idea what the hell is going on. And I can't really make any other decision. So, she can stay here and I won't tell anyone."

"That's good." Dustin gave a huge, satisfied grin. "Because we were trying to come up with a plan to help Will."

"No." Melissa stopped him from going any further. The boys looked at her like she had just destroyed their D&D game. "You guys are not doing _any_ planning tonight."

"But-"

Melissa raised a hand and Mike quieted. "I mean it. That's enough for tonight. Okay? It's almost eight, which means-" she pointed over at Dustin and Lucas. "You two need to start heading home. So, before your mom starts up, let's hustle. Come on."

She stood back, quietly watching Dustin and Lucas gather up their things and head upstairs. Mike picked up the food tray, and Melissa signaled for him to take it to the kitchen. Soon, it was just Melissa and El, the latter was sitting quietly at the table. A few times, Melissa caught El looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She didn't think much as she walked over and sat down at the table. Melissa felt the need to explain to El that she was on her side. That she didn't have to worry about anyone finding out that she was here.

"El." The girl in question looked over at Melissa, her eyes unwavering. "You don't know me, like at all. And, I can only guess that you don't really trust me. I understand. But, I just want you to know that _no one_ is going to know that you're here. I'm not going to say anything. I'm here to help, in whatever way I can." Melissa waited, for any kind of answer from Eleven. The only thing she received was a stare. In response, Melissa leaned her arms on the table, inching a little closer to the girl. "I don't know what happened to you when you were at the bad place. But, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're _never_ going back there, I'm not gonna let that happen."

El carefully regarded her. She scanned over Melissa's features, noticing how she and Mike shared similar facial structures. Their eyes were gentle and inviting, trustworthy. They both spoke to El using the same calm and gentle voice. It made her feel safe. She didn't know Melissa, but if Mike said that she could trust her, then she should.

"Promise?"

Without hesitation, Melissa answered. "I promise."

There was no backing out of this decision. While many adults view promises as a fictitious thing, to El it meant everything. A real commitment. And by god, Melissa was going to stick by her commitment, even though she had no idea what was going to happen. Melissa eyed the makeshift fort and nodded in its direction. "You should probably get some sleep."

El didn't bat an eye. She merely got up from the table and crawled back into her blanket fort. While it would have been weird, Melissa knelt down near the entrance to help Eleven settle in. Something she has done for her two sisters the past nine years. By now, it was instinct.

As she went to pull the sleeping bag closer, Eleven noticed something poking out from Melissa's sleeve. It was wrapped around her wrist. Her curious eyes followed it and Melissa took immediate notice. She drew back her hand and looked down, it was her pearl bracelet that got El all curious.

"Pretty."

Melissa smiled at the blunt choice of word. "Yeah, it's uh," she ran a finger over the pearls. "It's a bracelet."

"Bracelet," El repeated, testing the word, etching it into her memory.

"Yeah, it's something that… something that people wear to make them look nice, I guess." It was the most basic way to explain what a bracelet was. Actually, that description could be applied to almost anything that people wear. But, El accepted it. Without much thought, Melissa unclipped the bracelet and held it up. "Can you give me your wrist?"

El, timidly, held her arm towards Melissa, who quickly clipped on the piece of jewelry. The feel of it on her skin was foreign. Her eyes widened as she brought her wrist closer to inspect the object even more.

"You can wear it for a while." Most people wouldn't trust a young girl they just met with such a personal object. This bracelet had been in Melissa's possession for _years._ However, she didn't really form close attachments with objects. She had no problem with El wearing it for a while.

Eleven traced each pearl with her finger and sported the first smile Melissa saw. It made her own smile grow.

"You get some sleep, okay?" Melissa stood, pulled the sheets down to cover the entrance and quietly made her way up the basement steps. She suddenly felt tired. All of her energy had been focused on this one thing. Now all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and continue to think about what she just did.

The boys were huddled together, talking quietly. By the time Melissa walked out of the basement, they all paused, one after the other and chose to stare at Melissa. Almost like they expected her to go off on them. Instead, Melissa leaned against the basement door, a hand buried in her hair. "You boys need to start heading home."

It was all she had to say. Dustin and Lucas said their goodbyes to Mike and as they passed Melissa, they gave her weak smiles. It was like they were walking on eggshells around her. "It's fine," she said, giving each of them a pat on the back. "Goodnight."

"Night, Mel."

When the boys were gone, her attention was focused on getting her and Laura home. No doubt her sister was already fast asleep on the couch. She stepped forward and pulled her sister's coat off the rack. She didn't even notice that Mike was standing right beside her. Not until he spoke.

"Mel?"

She hung the coat over her arm, finally allowing herself to glance down at Mike.

"I just-thank you. You know for not saying anything. For keeping the secret about El." His words didn't express his full gratitude. But, he didn't know any other way to show it. She was upset about this whole thing, no doubt about that. He didn't want her to think he had a casual viewpoint of this, because he didn't.

"Mike, what have you gotten us into?"

Her question threw him off kilter. "I don't… I don't know."

"I mean, do you actually realize the seriousness of this situation? Of having her staying here, of all places. Have you even grasped it, at all?"

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice trailed off.

Melissa lolled her neck around and blew out a tired sigh. There was no point in her starting a lecture. She made her decision. End of discussion. And she was tired. She just wanted to go home. "I need you to listen to me, okay?"

He nodded.

"I need you to promise that if things get too dangerous, or out of control, you need to tell me."

"But-"

"No, Mike. I mean it. I'm the adult in this situation. And god forbid, if anything happens to you or the others, that's gonna be on me." She pressed her lips together, tightly. The thought of anything happening to them, especially Mike, it was enough to make her stomach lurch. "Please, just promise me this one thing. I want to make sure that none of you get hurt. This is the only exception I'm making."

He had already asked so much from her. To beg her to keep this a secret, something that could very much put all of them in serious danger. Something that she would have to keep from her entire family. And, if something did happen to him, he can't imagine how much guilt she'll feel. He and the others would just have to be extremely careful from here on out. And, the least he could do was agree to her exception.

"Okay. I promise."

A promise was something no one can break. Not ever. That's what he told El.

Melissa reached out and pulled him close to her, arms wrapped around him in a crushing hug. As she held him, all she could think about was his safety. Allowing El to stay here was like painting a huge target his home. But maybe, just maybe if they manage to keep this a secret, it could work. It was all wishful thinking. In the pit of her stomach, her instincts were screaming something different. It was warning her that this wasn't right. That this was all going to blow up in their faces.

* * *

 **A/N:** Mel knows about Eleven and as we all know, things really start to pick up now! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Another Disappearance

**disclaimer:** I do not own Stranger Things.

* * *

Chapter Four | Another Disappearance

"Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated."

\- _Alphonse de Lamartine_

* * *

Something was different.

It was a subtle feeling residing in the pit of her stomach. A shift in her reality. She couldn't put a finger on it.

At first, she tried ignoring it. Thinking by the time she got to school, it would be gone. That wasn't the case, however. As she got ready in the morning, the uneasiness persisted. It felt like the air was thicker. Like there was a layer of haze covering everything, making it seem like she was dreaming. It was bizarre. She had never experienced anything like it.

Breakfast was different. Her entire family carried on with their usual conversations. Not her. She remained quiet, content with poking at her food. She felt paranoid. As if, at any moment, her parents would start questioning her about El. That, somehow, they figured out the big secret. It seemed plausible, in that moment. Her parents were annoyingly good at finding out information. What if they find out about El?

She gripped her fork tighter until her knuckles turned white. _Stop it, Hughes. You're working yourself up over nothing._ Except it wasn't just nothing. A girl who has special abilities is secretly living in her cousin's basement and _no one_ else knows about it. It was a real mind fuck. How could she just go on, acting like everything was fine? Like, everything was normal? She had to find a balance. Or else, someone was going to catch on.

The moment she parked the car at school, she felt her stomach lurch. During the entire time, all she thought about was El sitting in Mike's basement. What if, god forbid, Karen decides to go down there? Finding a strange girl living in her basement would send Karen over the edge. The idea made her anxiety shoot through the roof. For a brief moment, Melissa thought about skipping school, to go and check on El. However, she quickly shot down the idea. The last thing she wanted was to draw any attention. Showing up at Karen's during a school day would surely signal that something was off.

Still, it didn't calm down her nerves. After getting one-no, two-smoke sessions in, Melissa made the short trek from the parking lot to the school. The casualness was disconcerting. Everyone in the school was laughing and joking with each other. Not her. She felt as if she was a sore thumb, sticking out among the crowd. It made her feel obsolete like she was an outsider infiltrating on Hawkins' tight-knit, cozy bubble.

Each time a student would stare at her, it made her heart pound against her chest. It was like they knew what she was thinking. Paranoia at its finest. Much to her relief, she finally reached her locker. Although it was in a public hallway, it acted as a sort of a safe haven. She didn't know how that worked, exactly. But, once she was at her locker, no one paid any attention to her, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

It went unnoticed for at first. While at her locker, Melissa felt a difference. Something felt out of place. She only realized it when she closed the locker door. Barb.

The bell rang, causing everyone to scramble for their first class. But, Melissa lingered near her locker for a bit. Usually, Barb would meet up at Melissa's locker and they would walk to her first class, together. Only, Barb was a no-show. As she made the walk to class, she kept her eyes peeled, looking for that familiar face. A face she never found in the vast crowd.

The duration of first period was a blur. Melissa kept her focus on her notebook, scribbling down messy shapes as a way to cope with her fevered mind. While not seeing Barb was a little weird, she forced herself to not think much of it. She probably wasn't feeling good, or she was just late this morning. It happened before.

She got through second and third period. Before she knew it, fourth period was over. Everyone was rushing towards the cafeteria. Melissa, however, remained outside of Barb's classroom. She waited, her foot tapped insensibly against the tile floor. When the room emptied, she remained outside the classroom, wondering if she missed Barb amongst the group of students. She stepped forward to look into the room and was greeted with nothing. Taking a step back, she worried her lip and quietly made her way to the cafeteria.

Now, she was starting for worry. She didn't see Barb in the morning and she wasn't there for fourth period. Where the hell was Barb? The minute she set foot in the cafeteria, there was a tug on her arm. She jumped and turned to the source only to be met with Nancy's wide eyes.

"Have you seen Barb?"

The sight of Nancy forced a squeal that got caught in her throat. _Hey, Nance, did you know that there's a girl living in your basement?_ Melissa's mouth dropped open, and upon seeing the expectant look on her cousin's face, she cleared her throat. "No, I haven't." She took an extra moment to gather herself, before asking. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"It was getting late. And I was going to change because my clothes got all wet. Barb wanted to leave, but I didn't. So, I just told her to go home and I went upstairs to change."

How did she get her clothes wet? What kind of party was Steve throwing last night? "And you're sure that Barb left?" Melissa asked, her brow arching.

"Yeah. I'm sure she did. When I left Steve's house, she wasn't there."

The girls got their food, making sure to keep their eyes peeled for Barb, and took their place at the usual table. Unfortunately, for Melissa, Tommy and Carol were sitting there with Steve which wasn't a surprise. As long as Steve hung around them, she was going to be near them quite a bit. As usual, she kept to herself during lunch, not eating any of her food and her mind thinking about Barb. Then, El slipped to the forefront of her mind. She glanced down at her watch, thinking if El was alright and keeping herself in the basement.

"Hey, Tommy, did you see Barb when you left?" Nancy's question brought Melissa back to the present.

"What?"

"Barb. She's not here today."

"I seriously have no idea who you're talking about."

Melissa stabbed her fork into the meatloaf and felt a rush go through her body. "It's not that hard of a question." She blurted out. "Just fucking answer it."

Tommy only chewed silently, glaring at her. "How about you ask me a lot more nicely?."

"Fuck you."

"Come on, man," Steve interjected before it could get out of hand. "Don't be an asshole." Steve's words made her brow perch up. An actual reasonable thing to say. She was surprised. "Did you see her, or not?"

Tommy eyed both Steve and Melissa, then, finally relented with an actual answer. "No, she was gone when we left."

"She probably left because she didn't want to hear all that moaning."

Melissa glanced up at Carol, as she began to mockingly reenact what was heard at Steve's house. She didn't even hinge on the fact that Nancy slept with Steve. Her attention was focused on the two obnoxiously loud people across from her, who were making _complete_ fools of themselves.

 _Who the hell does that in a school cafeteria?_

Melissa couldn't handle spending the rest of lunch anywhere near them. Instead, she grabbed her backpack and lunch tray and stormed out of the cafeteria. Not even acknowledging Nancy calling out her name.

She spent the remainder of lunch outside, on the hood of her car with a cigarette between her lips. She used each inhale to calm her mind. Too much was happening. First, it was her keeping the secret about Eleven. Now, it's Barb. While the first held a heavy burden on her shoulders, the latter didn't hold that much weight, at least not yet. It was disconcerting, but, the fact that Barb wasn't at school today, didn't mean anything terrible happened. For all she knew, Barb decided to skip school. While that isn't something she would do, it was a perfectly logical reasoning.

Melissa took in a long drag and slowly moved her eyes over the school parking lot. Barb's car wasn't anywhere to be seen. Something that she should have noticed the minute she stepped out of her car. But, with how clouded her mind was this morning, it wasn't a surprise that she missed it.

When school ended, Melissa did the quick switch at her locker and marched out of the building. The last thing she wanted-needed-was for Nancy to bring up the little scene at lunch. She just wanted to get home as quick as she could. On the drive home, her sisters were laughing in the backseat, making so much noise that Melissa could barely think.

"Can you girls please keep it down?" They did, only for a few minutes.

As she drove past Barb's cul de sac, Melissa got an idea and made a sharp left turn. The girls in the back seat went quiet, both of them gazed out their windows, perplexed at where they were going. "Where are we?" Jessica finally asked.

"I just need to check something real quick."

As they came to Barb's house, Melissa was seeking out for her car. If it was there, then there was nothing to worry about. That meant Barb skipped school. She was fine, and Melissa could stop worrying about it. But as she came to a stop in front of the house, she could feel her entire body sink into the seat. Barb's car wasn't there.

 _Barb isn't homesick, nor did she skip school. She's not here.  
_

She had the mind to go up and talk to her mother. But she quickly pushed the idea away. Melissa didn't want to worry Mrs. Holland, especially if there was nothing to be worried about. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was incredibly wrong. Barb didn't come to school. And now, her car isn't even in their driveway. It only spelled out one answer; Barb never came home last night.

 _This is bad. This is really bad._

It didn't take long for her sisters to start complaining. Melissa, reluctantly, drove back home. As they settled at the table, she prepared the girls' after-school snacks as they started their homework. She had been home for only ten minutes before the phone rang. Being too busy with the food, Jessica jumped up from her chair to answer the phone. She was too quick for Melissa to stop.

"Hello...hi, Nancy."

Melissa dropped the knife and turned to look at her sister, who was grinning as she held the phone to her ear.

"You want to talk to Mel?"

Melissa stepped away from the counter and took the phone from her sister. "Go and finish your homework." She ushered her sister back into the kitchen, then placed the phone up to her ear. "Hey, Nance."

" _Mel, I need you to do me a favor."_

The ardent tone in Nancy's voice made Melissa blink, especially when her cousin greeted her with such a straightforward statement. "Um, okay, I guess. Where are you calling me from?"

" _School."_

"Why from the school?"

" _Just listen. I need you to come pick me up, right now."_

That was an odd request. In her growing curiosity, she tapped her fingers against the wall in front of her. "I thought you were going to watch the game with Steve."

" _There's something that I need to check out."_

"And what's that?"

" _Barb. Please just get here as soon as you can."_

* * *

Melissa didn't hesitate. She finished with her sisters' snacks, told Chris she was going out for a bit, and dashed out of the house, and sped back to the school. If any of the cops had seen her, she would have definitely gotten pulled over for speeding. She quietly counted her blessings with that one. When she arrived at the school, Nancy was waiting for her at the front entrance.

"What happened?" Melissa asked as Nancy quickly got into the car. "Did you hear from Barb?"

Nancy shook her head as she tossed her bag into the backseat. "Just drive to Steve's house. I'll explain on the way."

Melissa did just that. She pulled out of the school drop off, and onto the main road. "Why exactly are we going back to Steve's?"

"I called Barb's house and her mom said that she never came home."

Melissa tightened her grip on the steering wheel, remembering how Barb's car wasn't in the driveway when she went to check. "Yeah. I know."

Nancy glanced over at her cousin. "What do you mean?"

"On the way home, I stopped by Barb's house...her car wasn't there."

An uneasiness filled Nancy's stomach. "I also found this." Nancy reached toward her bag and shuffled through the contents. Then, she pulled out a single photo, that was torn on the edges. Between quick glances, Melissa was able to make out the image of Barb, sitting on the pool diving board.

"This was after I went upstairs." Nancy clarified. "Barb never left."

Melissa gently took the photo from Nancy, held it near the steering wheel, and tried to examine the photo while also focusing on driving. Something she would have gotten scolded for is her mother was in the car with her. She noticed the angle of which the photo was taken. Someone else was there. "Wait," she gestured at the photo in her hand. "Where did you even get this photo?"

Nancy went quiet, her eyes focused on the photo and her mouth fell open, trying to find some way to explain to Melissa what happened. Jonathan was there that night and took photos of them. She visibly shook as she recalled picking up the torn pieces from the ground. "I'll explain it to you later."

After that, the girls went silent. They couldn't stop berating themselves. From the beginning, they both knew there was something off about this. Barb wasn't one to skip school, her car wasn't at her house, and her mother hadn't seen her all day. There were only two explanations; she either ran away or something bad happened. Melissa, immediately, dismissed the first theory. There was no way Barb would run away. No. She would never do that to her family and friends.

"When was the last time you saw Barb that night?" Melissa's question pierced through the silence, startling Nancy. But, her cousin only shook her head.

"We were in Steve's house. I was going upstairs to change out of my wet clothes. But, she told me that we had to leave."

The tone of Nancy's voice unsettled her. Quiet, somber and she even trembled on some words. Something happened. "Okay." Melissa straightened her back, mentally bracing herself for what she was going to hear next. "Then, what happened?"

"I told her that I didn't want to leave. And she kept trying to convince me and I just," she paused and turned to look out the window. The mood in the car instantly changed. Nancy felt her stomach tie into a knot as she remembered the last thing she said to Barb. "I told her to just go home."

Imagining the scenario made Melissa cringe. Barb knew exactly what was going to happen if Nancy went upstairs. She was trying to prevent it. And Nancy, evidently, shot her down.

After a long silence, Nancy finally spoke. "I should have just...left with her."

Melissa didn't say anything. She just kept her focus on getting them to Steve's house. However, as she drove up the street to his home, she spotted Barb's car parked alongside the road. She slowed the car and pulled over, behind Barb's car. "Why is her car parked all the way out here?"

"I told her to. That way the neighbors wouldn't get suspicious."

Melissa switched off the ignition and the two of them stepped out. They approached Barb's vehicle and peered into the windows. It didn't seem like anyone has been in it since last night. That meant Barb never returned to her car.

"Barb!"

Melissa jumped when Nancy called out their friends' name. "Jesus," she whispered to herself.

Nancy motioned for her cousin to follow. "Come on, let's go check the backyard."

Nancy took off without hesitation. Melissa had to jog in order to catch up with her. The backyard was quiet. Steam rose from the pool, creating an eerie scene before them. She scouted the area, her eyes roaming over the home's architecture. It felt like they were standing in an alternate reality. Like all of this was nothing but a weird dream. Her eyes found the diving board and an odd chill went down her spine. The photo that Nancy showed her. Barb was sitting on the diving board, all by herself.

A sigh emitted from the teenager as she slowly approached the board. She noticed that nothing was out of the ordinary. If something terrible happened, wouldn't there be some kind of evidence? Anything that would tell them about what happened. Barb wouldn't have gone down without a fight.

"Barb!" Nancy called out again, slowly edging her way towards the woods.

Melissa just barely brushed her fingers over the diving board and scanned the pool for anything. But, there was nothing. Stepping away from the pool, she quickly joined Nancy, and they both ventured further into the woods. It was unsettling. The barren tree branches creaked as the wind picked up, the leaves on the ground crunched with each step they took. She felt like she was in some kind of horror film.

"Barb!" Melissa's voice dissipated into an echo, each exhale puffed out in clouds. She pulled her coat closer to her body, suddenly it felt colder. "Barb!"

Then, they heard it. Footsteps that were coming from further in the woods. They paused, their eyes rapidly scanned the area around them. The noises got closer, more pronounced, as it appeared all around them. Something was here. Suddenly, a figure darted across the pathway, just a few feet ahead of them. It was quick, they could have missed it if they weren't paying attention. But, they were.

Melissa stumbled back, a gasp caught in her throat as she tripped over her own feet. She hadn't even noticed that Nancy did the same until they were both on the ground, staring at each other with wide eyes. Melissa immediately took hold of Nancy's arm and pulled them both up. They both broke into a run and didn't stop until they reached Melissa's car. Once they were in, Melissa started up the ignition, made a wide U-turn and sped back towards town. Nothing was said. Nancy and Melissa were silently trying to fathom what they had seen. Was it a person? Some kind of weird looking bear? A giant deer, maybe?

 _What kind of deer walks on its back legs?_

Through her clouded mind, she thought about where they should go. Who were they supposed to go to? The thing they just witnessed in the woods sounds like something out of a movie. Who was going to believe them? In a split decision, Melissa pulled the car over, near the local park, and switched off the ignition. Again, nothing was said. All they could hear were each other's heavy breathing. Her hands were still gripping the steering wheel, and as she pulled them away, they began to shake. To stop the shaking, Melissa rested them in her lap and closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing.

"What...was that thing?" Nancy asked, her voice wavered, dripping with worry over what they had encountered. "It-it looked...almost human."

Melissa silently shook her head, her hands curled into fists. "It wasn't human." She could picture it so clearly, even though she only saw it for a brief second. "The arms," She quietly pointed out. "The arms were long and...it had no,"

"No face." Nancy finished, swallowing hard at the memory.

No face. The detail made the shaking worse. Melissa pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and quickly lit one. "This is crazy." She said to herself. "This is fucking crazy." What the hell was going on in this town? First, it was Mike bringing home a girl with special abilities. Now, there was some horrifying _thing_ lurking in the woods outside Steve's home. Where did it come from? More importantly, what the hell was it?

"I think it might have to do with Barb being missing."

Melissa finished taking in a long drag, then turned to face Nancy. "What, you think it might have taken her?"

Nancy shrugged, her teeth bit down on her lip. "It's too much of a coincidence that she's last seen at the pool and that _thing_ is there. It has to all be connected somehow."

It was reasonable enough. Nancy was right. The coincidence was just too damn high. But, as she continued to picture the thing in her mind, a wave of dread washed over her. If it really did take Barb, was she alright? Whatever it is, it wasn't human. There was no way police would be able to negotiate for Barb's safe return. "So, what do we do?"

"We do whatever we can to find Barb."

* * *

Melissa was sitting in the foyer in Nancy's home, her hands continuously fumbling with each other. She took a moment to glance over at Nancy, who was sitting in the chair next to her. She was quiet, her eyes, which were still red and swollen from crying, were downcast. Karen was doing her best to comfort the girls. They came home, frantic and confused. Nancy broke down as she told Karen that something happened to Barb. Something terrible.

Karen sat them down in the living, gently asking what had happened. Nancy had to come clean. Well, she was able to evade certain details-like how she had slept with Steve that night. And while Karen seemed agitated that Nancy never went to the memorial at the school, she didn't say anything to put Nancy off. Besides, the focus needed to be on Barb, not what Nancy did last night.

As the girls started to explain what they saw in the woods, Melissa found herself drifting away from the conversation. Several times her eyes would glance in the direction of the basement. She thought about El being down there all by herself for hours. Was she alright? Has she eaten anything today? Her leg started to shake as she continued to think about it. She wanted to go down there and check. But, she needed to wait for the right opportunity. And it came.

Everything had been explained and it only took a few minutes for them to agree on a plan. Karen called Barb's mother, asking if she and her husband would come over after dinner, and the girls could explain to them what happened. Mrs. Holland agreed. Karen went to make the phone call and Nancy went with her, leaving Melissa alone.

It was the perfect opportunity.

Melissa crept towards the basement door and when she was sure no one was looking, she quietly made her way down the basement steps. "El?" She called out, quietly. She didn't even make it all the way down the steps when she realized El wasn't there. Her entire body froze as her eyes scanned the room. _Oh, shit._ Why did El leave? Doesn't she know that was the _worst_ thing to do? Then, it dawned on her. Mike. He must have taken El...somewhere.

"Dammit, Mike."

Dinner was agonizing. Melissa couldn't eat, her appetite was almost non-existent. All she could think about were Barb's parents. Her chest ached at the prospect of telling them that Barb was missing. To make matters worse, she doesn't know if Barb was safe...or alive. She wanted to cry, and she almost did, right at the dinner table. It took all of her strength to keep her emotions in check. She can't cry, not right now.

Dinner ended. Karen took Melissa's full plate into the kitchen, quickly stashed away the leftovers. Melissa and Nancy retreated to the living room, the entire time her leg shook, her thoughts mangled between two things: Barb's parents and El. She was trying to figure out how they were going to explain what they saw in the woods. While, simultaneously, she agonized over where El was. Mike had yet to come home, which confirmed her earlier realization. When he gets home, she was going to have a talk with him, that's for sure.

When Mr. and Mrs. Holland arrived, Melissa shrunk against the couch. The pair were adorning concerned expressions as they entered the home. They already knew this was about Barb. And the anxious looks on Melissa and Nancy's faces didn't ease the tension. Once everyone was settled in the living room, Karen motioned for the girls to talk but for a moment, they said nothing. The only thing they _could_ do was just stare at Barb's parents. Melissa took in their features, seeing how anxious they were. It was as if they already knew something had happened to their daughter. Made sense to her. Parents always seem to know if their child was in danger.

The two girls exchanged looks. Silently reassuring each other, then Nancy was the first to speak. "Last night, Barb and I didn't go to the memorial at school." Nancy started off from the beginning. It was time to come clean about it, no point in holding it back. "We went to a party at Steve Harrington's house."

Marsha, Barb's mother, blinked, her lips pursed together. "A party?"

Nancy quietly nodded. "We were there for a few hours and Barb told me that we needed to leave. But, I didn't want to. She tried to convince me and I just told her to leave...to go home. And that was the last time I saw her."

Marsha allowed herself a moment to process the information. Then, she turned to Melissa. "Did you know that she was going to this party?"

She didn't expect to be questioned to quickly. Melissa could feel her heart leap into her chest. Her mouth opened to speak, however, nothing came out. She re-focused herself. "She told me about it. Yesterday, after school, she asked me to go with them. But, I told her I couldn't because I was babysitting last night. She didn't say that she was going but I knew she was considering it."

"But, I know that she didn't leave Steve's house. Someone else, who was there, saw Barb sitting at the pool. And she was gone by the time they left a few hours later." Nancy made the conscious decision not to bring Jonathan into this. "After school, we were concerned about her. Melissa and I drove out to Steve's house, her car was still there. So, we went into his backyard to try and look for her. That's when we saw this _thing."_

"Thing?" Marsha questioned, her voice sounded panicked at the implication.

"It was in the woods," Melissa explained. "It was only a couple of feet ahead of us and it was fast, we didn't get a real good look. But, it was big and," she glanced over at Nancy, seeing that she was starting to shake. "We think that it may have taken Barb."

"Are you sure it wasn't a person?"

"No, it-it was something that we can't explain. But, it's just too big a coincidence that Barb goes missing and that thing is out there." Melissa watched the Hollands carefully, seeing that Marsha's eyes were already starting to fill with tears. In response, her hands clenched into fists. How could this be happening? How could Barb be missing?

"I'm so sorry." Nancy's apology was soft and agonizing. "I should have just left with her and I didn't."

Hearing the guilt in Nancy's voice sparked her own. Melissa thought back to her last conversation with Barb. She was asking Melissa to go, nearly pleading with her. She didn't want to be the only one without _someone._ Melissa turned her back and refused to go. In her own looming regret, Melissa pressed both hands to her face, her mind buzzing with many things. _You should have fucking gone, Hughes. None of this would have happened._ It hit her out of the blue. A lump formed in her throat as her eyes started to sting. _Why didn't you just go with her? You should have gone.  
_

"Melissa?"

Melissa felt Karen's hand on her shoulder, giving gentle squeezes. She pulled her hands away and sniffed. She felt dizzy and her face felt warm, she needed to get out of this living room. "Can I be excused for a moment?" She didn't look at Karen, not wanting her to see the tears in her eyes.

"Yes, of course."

She nearly jumped off the couch. She needed some air-she needed a damn cigarette. Melissa pulled her coat from the rack and stepped out the front door. The cold air brought an immediate relief to her overheated face. As she closed her eyes, the tears finally fell. In an unguarded moment, a quiet sob slipped past her lips as Melissa sat down on the concrete step and pulled out a cigarette. She sat on the step, quietly smoking through her cigarette, at the same time, she thought about the picture Nancy showed her. Barb sitting on the diving board...alone. The recollection forced a new round of tears. Melissa held back a sob, the fact that Barb was alone made the whole situation unbearable _._ She rubbed her swollen eyes, sniffling and thinking back to her last conversation with Barb.

 _Why do you want me to go anyways?_

 _Because Nancy is going for Steve. Tommy and Carol are their own thing. And I don't want to be the only one without someone._

Melissa winced, her palm was pressed against her forehead as she took in another drag from her cigarette. "I should have gone." She whispered. Now, Barb was gone and she that was possibly… no. Barb wasn't dead. No, there was no way. There was nothing that pointed to that conclusion. She was missing. Not dead.

"We're gonna find you." It was more of a promise to herself. It kept Melissa grounded and somewhat focused. Until it was proven otherwise, Barb was still out there. And she needed their help. Still, none of this would have happened if she had _just gone with them.  
_

The sound of tires screeching brought her back to the present. Her head snapped up to the sight of Mike riding his bicycle up the driveway. Good, he was home. Now, it was time to find out where he has been. Melissa stood up and stomped out what was left of her cigarette. Using the sleeve of her coat, she quickly dried her cheeks. Then, she waited. However, she noticed that something was off. Mike abandoned his bike in the middle of the driveway and El wasn't with him.

Mike walked up the pathway at a quick rate, his head was down and his hands were clenched into fists. He looked upset...very upset.

"Hey, bud." She tried to diffuse his mood by not asking the probing question. But, Mike didn't acknowledge her. As he got closer, the porch light illuminated his face, showcasing the visible tear stains on his cheek. "Mike?"

He went to pass her but she reached out and got him by the shoulder. "Mike." She got a better look at him. Eyes were red and swollen, his cheeks were irritated by both his tears and the cold air. He didn't look at her, not until she cupped his face. "Mike." Her voice was much quieter, prompting him to finally look at her. "Mike, what happened? Are you hurt?" She quickly checked him for injury.

He only shook his head.

Okay, he wasn't injured. That was somewhat of a relief. She searched his eyes, hoping that he would give her some kind of answer. "What happened?"

Without warning, Mike broke down. He leaned forward until he was pressed against her, and his arms wrapped around her waist. She did the same, enclosing him in a tight embrace. His entire body shook as he sobbed. She rested her cheek on the top of his head, "what happened?" She asked again, her voice just barely above a whisper.

Mike tried to answer her. But, the only thing that came out was another agonized sob. He only snuggled closer and tightened his hold.

Melissa said nothing else. She allowed Mike his moment. Every sob he emitted was like a punch in her gut. It was an upsetting, yet, familiar feeling. Melissa had been Mike's source of comfort during much of his childhood. Several times, she held him as he cried. Usually, it was regarding a non-serious issue. But, this was different. She had never seen Mike this upset before.

He finally calmed down. The sobs turned into quiet hiccups and sniffling. She gave a few gentle rubs against his back and tried to break his hold on her, just so that she could get a look at his face. But, Mike refused to let go of her. "Okay." She ran a hand through his hair as she gazed down at him. "Let's go inside, okay?"

With her arm firmly secured around him, they both made their way back into the house. As they came into view in front of the foyer, they both stopped when they heard Karen speak.

"Michael?"

Melissa turned towards Karen and simply gazed down at Mike. He still had an arm wrapped around her and his head was still rested on her chest. He couldn't look at his mom, for a reason he couldn't understand.

"Michael?" Karen approached the pair and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. She could see how flushed his cheeks were. "What's wrong?" Her questioned went unanswered and when she looked to Melissa for an answer, the teenager only shook her head. "Michael, honey, can you tell me, what happened?"

A tense silence followed. Everyone, including Nancy and the Hollands, was curious as to what was going on. Melissa gave his shoulder a few gentle squeezes, to try and get him to say something...anything.

Karen gently coaxed Mike out of Melissa's hold, something that was never easy to do. She brushed her thumb against his cheek, prompting him to finally look at her. "Michael, what happened?"

He bit his lip, his red, worn down eyes stared into hers. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Not right now. "I want...to go upstairs."

Karen regarded her son, carefully. The way he had clung to Melissa's side made him look so small. "Of course you can."

"I'll go with him." Melissa offered.

Mike was the first to move. As he slowly made his way to the stairs, Melissa gave a quiet apology to the Hollands before following her cousin. On instinct, she placed her hand on his shoulder. When they reached the landing, Melissa guided him to his bedroom. She ran a hand through his hair, her fingers just barely brushing his cheek. Just from that small motion, she could feel hold cold his cheeks were. She opened his bedroom door, "I want you to go in, take off your shoes and jacket. And just relax. I'll be there in a minute."

Wasting no time, she ventured into the bathroom and turned on the sink. She grabbed a cloth from the counter and dipped a finger under the running water. When it was warm enough, she held the cloth under the running water and wrung it a couple times. Once the cloth was warm enough, she turned off the sink and entered Mike's room. Just as he was told, he was sitting on his bed, shoes and jacket were discarded near the closet door. She placed his desk chair in front of him and sat down. He didn't look at her but his body gave subtle, sporadic shakes.

With the cloth in hand, she slowly reached up and gently wiped at his cheeks. She did this countless of times with her sisters. Especially, during the winter months, when they had been playing outside. It was important to make sure that they warmed up.

Mike's eyes immediately closed. The warmth numbed him to his core. For a split second, he forgot everything. He no longer felt upset and could relish in the gentle care he was being given. When he opened his eyes, he noticed how concentrated Melissa was. Her eyes were roaming all over his features, taking care of how hard she was wiping. He could remember the last time he received this kind ofcare from her.

It was a couple years back. Melissa and Nancy were babysitting him while their parents were out for the night. Mike had already not felt good earlier that day. When he came down for dinner, he looked like hell. Hair stuck to his forehead, which was slick with sweat, and his face was so pale. Melissa took him back to bed and stayed with him for the rest of the night. He ended up spiking a fever and couldn't even eat his dinner. He slept through most of it. Yet, every time he opened his eyes, she was there at his bedside, keeping his face cool with a damp cloth. For some reason, that particular detail always stuck out to him. He wondered, for a small moment, if she thought about the same thing.

It skipped her view at first. But, Melissa caught sight of a small discoloration on Mike's chin. She paused, took a moment to examine it, only to find that it was a cut. It was covered with dried blood. "How did that happen?" She gently brushed his chin with her finger.

"I fell."

Melissa pursed her lips, taking moment to get another look at the cut. "Troy?" Her question was only answered by a faint nod. She cleared her throat. "You need to clean it tonight before you go to bed."

Mike nodded.

She placed the damp cloth on his desk, then leaned forward. "You want to tell me what got you so upset tonight?"

He struggled to find the words. The image of the officers pulling Will's lifeless body from the quarry made his throat go dry. He could barely fathom it. How was he supposed to say it?

"Mike."

He huffed out a breath and the words fell past his lips. "Will is dead."

It didn't register at first. She thought it was a misinterpretation on her part. It had to be a mistake. There was no way that Will was dead. She studied Mike's face, hoping for any indication that it could be a mistake. As she saw his eyes fill with tears, she knew it was true. She moved herself to sit next to Mike and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close to her until his head was resting against her shoulder. "Okay, okay." She whispered to herself, trying to clear her mind enough in order to talk with him. "How do you know it was really him?"

Mike tensed. He knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, she was wondering where he had been all night. And curious as to where Eleven was. He hesitated on saying anything. The last thing he wanted was to get lectured by her.

"It's okay," She said, almost like she had read his mind. "You're not in trouble, I promise. How do you know it was him?"

"We were at Will's house when we heard the cop cars." Mike's voice was hoarse and his throat felt incredibly dry. "We followed them to the quarry. And we," he paused, swallowing at the memory of Will being pulled from the water. "We saw them pull Will's body...out of the water. He was dead...he was dead." His voice faltered towards the end.

Her hold on him instinctively tightened. She thought about Jonathan and Joyce, how the police were probably telling them about Will. God, she couldn't imagine what they must be going through right now. Her eyes closed as she rested her cheek against the top of his head. "I'm sorry, Mike."

Mike wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her shoulder, trying not to go through another episode. "She said that he was alive." His voice muffled against her shoulder. But, the words were still clear to her. "El said t-that he was alive, that she knew where he was." He bit his lip, the betrayal was still fresh, he could feel his chest tighten. "Why would she lie about that?"

Her mind had gone blank. What could Melissa say that would make all of this better? The only thing that came to mind was to say sorry. Sorry that his bed friend was dead. Sorry that he thought Will was still alive. What was she supposed to do? _Come on, Hughes. Mike needs you._ "Where are they? Dustin, Lucas and El?"

Mike sniffled. "I left them at the quarry. They are probably heading back now."

"Okay." She rubbed her hand up and down his arm. "Hey, I want you to listen to me. I know all of this is confusing and upsetting but I don't want you to worry about this. What I want you to do, is just rest. Okay, just relax and please, don't go anywhere else tonight."

"I won't."

Mike pulled away and Melissa gently brushed away the new tear stains. But, he was able to get a good look at her and he noticed something was off. "What happened?"

Melissa gave him a curious look, at first, not knowing what he was asking about. "What do you mean?"

"Your eyes." He could still see the redness in them. "It looks like you were crying."

"Oh," Shaking her head, she managed to keep an even expression. "It's nothing you need to worry about. I'll probably tell you later but not right now. The only thing you need to worry about is rest. I'm pretty sure your mom is not going to make you go to school tomorrow."

"What about the others? Lucas, Dustin and El?"

"I'm gonna go out and find them. Don't worry, I'll take care of it." She leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his forehead. Her arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. "Love you, bud."

"Love you too."

* * *

She felt completely drained.

This entire day was exhausting and emotional. First, it was finding out that Barb is missing and now, Will is dead. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the latter. How could he be gone? There was a whisper of doubt among quite a few people, that Will would be found, but not found alive. It was passed around in the school hallways. Most kids who go missing usually don't make it back in one piece. And now, Will has become a part of that statistic.

She tried to shake the thought away. But the realization only grew heavier when she told Karen and Todd about what happened. Her entire body grew numb when she saw Karen's reaction.

" _How's Mike?"_

" _Not good."_

Hearing about what happened to Will, only created more worry for Barb. While they couldn't connect the two events, it certainly dimmed their hopes that she was somewhere safe. Barb's parents informed her and Nancy that they would be contacting the police, which meant they would have to give statements. Something both of them were willing to do.

And when the window of opportunity finally arrived, Melissa dismissed herself from the house. Saying that she was tired and wanted to go home. She said goodbye to Karen and Nancy before sneaking down into the basement. She unlocked the basement door and snuck out. Now, she needed to go find the others. As she got into her car and started to drive off, she thought back to what Mike had told her. The others were at the quarry when he left. It's been about half an hour, maybe a little longer. They would still have to be close to Will's place.

She turned down Mirkwood, keeping the speed slow and her eyes peeled for the group. Soon enough, just a couple feet ahead, the headlights illuminated three small figures walking alongside the road. She quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car. The three figures paused at seeing the form coming towards them. But they all visibly relaxed when they realized it was Melissa.

"Hey." She stopped to check each one of them, making sure that they weren't hurt. Dustin and Lucas looked haunted, their cheeks were red and irritated, just like Mike. "Are you three okay?"

The boys nodded. When she looked at El, the young girl was silent and even in the darkness, Melissa could tell how pale her face was.

"Where's Mike?" Lucas asked.

"He's okay. He's home, which is where you guys need to be. So, let's put your bikes in the trunk and I'll drive you home."

They made no qualms about it. Melissa told El to get into the front seat as she helped Dustin and Lucas with putting their bikes in the trunk. It took a couple minutes, but they finally got them in. The boys settled themselves into the car and Melissa started back towards town. It was quiet. None of them said anything. She could only hear quiet sniffles and coughs. She debated about saying something. To try and offer some form of comfort to them, especially Lucas and Dustin. Instead, she kept her mouth shut. She could barely form any words to say to Mike, she wasn't going to be able to offer anything that would make them feel better.

The first stop was Dustin's house. Melissa helped with getting his bike out and, despite not saying anything earlier, she pulled him in for a quick hug. A gesture that Dustin was appreciative of. "You get some rest, okay?"

Dustin nodded. "Thanks for the ride."

She stood next to the car, watching Dustin until he was inside the house. She got back in the car and made the quick drive to Lucas' home. Again, she got out to help with his bike and offered him a hug.

"Can't believe this is happening." Lucas's voice was muffled against her shoulder.

"I know." She rubbed her hand against his back then pulled away to look at him. "I know it may not seem like it now, but it's gonna be okay."

Lucas blinked, every part of him was doubtful. "Is Mike okay?"

She pursed her lips together, then cleared her throat. "He's safe. All of you are. That's all that matters. Go inside and get some rest."

Lucas offered his thanks for the ride and quietly walked up the driveway. Melissa remained stationary until she saw him disappear into his house. Breathing a sigh of relief, she clambered back into her car, then glanced over in the passenger seat. El was staring out the window, keeping to herself, refusing to talk.

Melissa shifted the car into drive and started back towards Mike's house. It was a little awkward. Just the two of them in a car, keeping quiet. Melissa recalled what Mike had said earlier, wondering how El could lie to them about Will. Telling them that he was alive when he clearly wasn't. Something about the question didn't settle well with her. Granted, she still didn't know this girl. For all she knew, El had lied to them. But the suspicion melted away. In the pit of her stomach, Melissa thought otherwise. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Are you okay?" The question when unanswered.

El thought on the question. Was she okay? No, she wasn't. It didn't make sense. The body they pulled from the water was Will...but it couldn't be him. He was hiding...he had to be. But, there was a hunch deep in her gut that helped to fuel her doubt. Maybe he really was dead. Maybe she made some kind of mistake. Now, all she could think about was the look on Mike's face, how devastated and betrayed he felt.

"Upset."

Melissa strained to hear what El had said. "What?"

"Upset. All of them, upset."

"Yeah, they are." Her knuckles turned white as her hands tightened, mulling over the question she wanted to ask. Melissa braced herself for whatever reaction she would receive. "Is it alright if I ask you something?"

El remained facing forward but answered, "yes."

"I'm not asking this to upset you in any way. But...did you know that Will was dead this whole time?"

"No." El didn't hesitate. She glanced over at Melissa, her features adorned with genuine dismay. "I didn't. He was hiding." Her voice tapered off.

She was getting upset. Melissa had to salvage the situation. "No, it's okay. You're not in trouble, I just-I just wanted to make sure. I'm sorry for upsetting you." Melissa refrained herself from asking anything else. The last thing she wanted was to upset her anymore. They both descended into silence, with El keeping her gaze out the window. Melissa spared a quick glance, seeing El was resting her head against the window. She was clearly upset. The idea was just dropping her off at Mike's house and leaving left a bad taste in her mouth. She wanted to do something to lighten her mood.

Instead was continuing on to Mike's house, Melissa pulled the car into the driveway of her home. El immediately noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. She leaned forward, her wide eyes took in the sight of the house in front of her. "Where are we?"

"My home." Melissa pushed open the car door, pausing when she saw El's worried look. "It's okay. I want you to meet someone. It might make you feel better."

It took a few more tries and she was able to convince El to exit the vehicle. It was almost eight, her sisters were definitely upstairs, her parents were both working late, and Chris was probably listening to music. No one would hear them. They quietly made their way to the fence gate that led into the backyard. Once they were in, Melissa quietly closed the gate and rounded the corner of the house. El stood near the back porch, her eyes scanning over the yard. There was a playground set, a table with bench seating, and a huge tree residing towards the back corner. It was simple, yet, El could feel the faintest smile appear.

Melissa opened the back door, leaned her head in and began to whistle. It was enough to garner El's attention and she stepped closer to see what she was doing. Melissa whistled again, her eyes searched the dark kitchen. "Harley," She whispered, loud enough for him to hear. "Harley." She whistled one more time. "Come here, boy." The padding of feet against the hardwood floor slowly emerged from the darkness. Soon, she could make out the form of Harley, barreling towards her. "Hey, buddy!" She stepped aside, allowing him onto the porch.

El was taken aback by the massive form that bolted out of the door. And it was making its way right towards her. She stepped back as the animal circled around her, its bushy tail eagerly wagging.

"Harley, easy." Melissa quietly commanded. When she saw the surprised look on El's face, she gently took hold of his collar, hoping to settle him down. "This is Harley."

"Harley," El repeated, her eyes never leaving the animal.

He gave a low bark, startling El, but Melissa was able to hush him fairly quickly. "He's my dog...my pet."

El had heard about dogs and only seen a few photos of them. Whenever Papa would show her the photo of someone she needed to find, every once in a while, there would be a dog in the background. But, she's never been able to actually encounter one. One she wasn't prepared for was the size of this dog.

"You don't have to be scared," Melissa said once she noticed how wide-eyed El was. "He just needs to sniff you a few times and he'll be fine." Melissa gradually loosened her hold on his collar, carefully watching him as he sniffed El's clothing.

El remained still, afraid to move even an inch. However, nothing happened. Harley continued to sniff her clothes, which Mike had loaned her. And it helped. Harley could smell Mike's scent, which calmed him. El opened her hand as he began to nuzzle her palm. On instinct, she cautiously moved her hand to pet his head, something that Harley was more than willing to do.

Melissa picked up a tennis ball from the ground and held it up. "He really loves playing fetch." Harley jumped back, his tail wagged and his eyes focused on the ball in her hand.

"Fetch?" El asked.

"Yeah, look." Melissa teased the ball in front of him a few times, then threw the ball across the yard. Harley took off, catching the ball as it came down, and started back towards them. He dropped the ball in Melissa's hand and she offered it to El. "You want to try?"

El eyed the ball in Melissa's hand before timidly taking it into her own. Harley's reaction was the same as before; jumping from side to side and wagging his tail. She smiled. Then, raised her hand and threw the ball across the yard. Harley bolted in the same direction. She felt elated. The joy she felt as Harley ran back towards her with the ball in his mouth. It was such a simple thing. Playing fetch with a dog. Most wouldn't think much about it. But for El, this was an experience. It felt freeing.

The next few minutes, the two remained in the backyard with El continuously throwing the ball for Harley. Melissa was content with sitting on the back porch, watching the scene before her. She was taken aback by how different El looked. Before, the unstable upbringing she went through was evident. From her eyes to her basic vocabulary, and how timid she was, anyone would have been able to see it. This girl has gone through hell. Yet, Melissa still had no idea what to think about it all. Yes, she agreed to keep El a secret and to help in whatever way she could. That didn't mean the worrying or questioning stopped. She needed answers. She wanted to find some sense in all of this. To put away some of the confusion. But she couldn't subject El to that kind of torture. It could do more damage and Melissa could never forgive herself if she scarred this young girl even more.

El threw the ball and glanced back at Melissa. The teenager was deep in thought, her eyes fixed on the ground. In response, El sat down on the porch next to her. That snapped Melissa out of her trance. She looked at El and smiled. When Harley returned, he laid down next to El, content with chewing his tennis ball. El casually ran her hand against his back.

"You like him?" Melissa asked.

El quietly nodded.

"Is it alright if I ask you another question?"

This piqued the young girl's interest. El turned her full attention to Melissa and nodded her head.

"Is it true that you have abilities? Dustin said that you closed a door with your mind. So, you can actually move things with your mind?" The question was random and Melissa felt a little dumb for asking it. But it was an aspect of El that she never got to witness. It was nothing more than a claim Dustin made.

"Yes," El answered.

She would just have to take her word for it. "Hm." Melissa picked up Harley's tennis ball, twirled it in her hand a few times. "Sorry for asking. It's just all of this is so...weird. This kind of thing only happens in movies or tv shows. Not in real life. I guess I'm trying to find some semblance with all of this."

El regarded her for a moment, watching as she twirled the ball in her hand. In a swift motion, El took the ball from Melissa's hand and held it in her open palm. "Watch." She quietly commanded.

And she did. Melissa watched intently as El stared at the ball. It was only a few seconds of nothing when it happened. The ball levitated from El's palm and remained floating in the air, even after she moved her hand away. Melissa was speechless. Her wide eyes remained on the floating ball. It even got Harley's attention. Then, the ball flew across the yard with Harley trailing after it.

"Holy shit."

Dustin wasn't lying. She now fully understood why these people were trying to find her. If El was capable of moving things with her mind, god only knows what else she could do. That thought in itself caused a chill to go down her spine. El was just a _child._ A child who possessed abilities most could never imagine. How does something like this happen? How does a child end up with these kinds of abilities?

When she turned to El, there was a small trail of blood coming from her nose. "Oh, you got a little," she gestured to her nose, to which El wiped the blood with the back of her hand. "Does that always happen?"

El nodded as she stared down at the blood stain.

"Do you ever get scared by it? You know, with having these types of abilities?"

"Yes."

"That's why they're looking for you, right? That's why they're so hell-bent on trying to find you."

"Hurt me." She slowly turned to look at Melissa, "hurt all of you."

Melissa swallowed, her eyes carefully roamed over El's face. It was a fear that had been constantly poking at her mind. She couldn't let this get out of hand. She didn't want to end up regretting her decision to help El. But, as long as El kept a low profile, she should be fine. If they all kept to this one rule, this should play out without any troubles.

Still deep in thought, Melissa faced forward, watching Harley roll around in the grass. "They're not going to hurt you, El." She could feel El's eyes on her, but she didn't meet the young girl's gaze. "We're not gonna let them take you away."

It was strange. Melissa hardly knew this mysterious girl, yet she was willing to keep her safe. To make sure that these people will never hurt her again. El didn't know what to think about it all. Other than she actually felt safe. El could sense when someone wasn't being genuine. It was a homed in skill she developed while at the lab. Many of the people there didn't care about her. She could sense it. They only treated her as a rat, scurrying around doing whatever was demanded. And, she believed Melissa. She believed every word of that declaration. Nothing bad was going to happen to her.

After a few more minutes, Melissa checked her watch, then stood up. "It's getting late. I need to get you back to Mike's."

El stood and paused when Harley trotted over to her, with the ball still in his mouth. She ran her hand over his head, smiling at the content look on his face. She didn't want to leave the company of Harley. "See him again?"

Melissa smiled. "Of course you can. I'll find a way to sneak him over."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

 **A/N:** This isn't my favorite chapter, I kinda went through a writer's block. I apologize for it not being the best. But, I hope you all enjoy it!

P.S. I forgot to put this down in the last three chapters, but I have a blog up for the series. You can check it out on tumblr at _eventideseries_


	5. The Anomaly, Part One

Chapter Five | The Anomaly, Part One

"Never underestimate someone's ability to find out the truth."

-unknown

* * *

Melissa kept her promise.

The next morning, at around 5 a.m., she took Harley over to Mike's house. Usually, Melissa would walk Harley in the early morning hours. This provided a nice cover for her. El was still asleep by the time she arrived. She had to knock on the basement door a few times to wake her up. When El opened the door, the kid was tired and barely coherent, but the moment she saw Harley, the sleep buzz went away. Melissa cringed when she saw how tired El was, but this was the only time she felt comfortable with doing this. Everyone in the neighborhood, including her family, was still asleep. Her parents don't wake up until 6, so they had just a little over an hour.

And in that one hour, El spent the entire time playing fetch, near the side of the house. That way, they were out of sight in case anyone happened to venture outside, or looked out their windows. While El and Harley played, Melissa stayed back, keeping a constant eye on their surroundings. She was prepared to cut the session short if she saw anyone. Besides, she didn't know when El would be able to see Harley again. She figured early in the morning would suffice.

Several times Melissa had thought about checking on Mike, more like she wanted to. However, as she glanced down at her watch, he's still sleeping. And she wanted him to get rest. There was no point in her waking him up. After the night Mike had; losing Will, she didn't want to agitate him even more.

However, unbeknownst to Melissa, Will wasn't dead.

After returning El back to Mike's house, Melissa didn't stay long. Mike was already in the basement when they returned. She helped El get settled in and asked Mike if he wanted her to stay a little longer.

" _It's okay. I'll be fine."_

Melissa went home that night with a sickening feeling in her stomach. Like, she should have stayed with him just a little longer. But, she was tired and emotional. All she wanted was to fall asleep and that's exactly what she did.

However, El contemplated with herself the entire time. Whether it was fine for her to tell Melissa about what happened last night. That she was able to channel Will through Mike's supercom. She proved to Mike that Will wasn't dead. He's still out there...hiding. Before going to bed, Mike told El that he would come up with a plan. Whatever that plan may be, it has to involve him telling Melissa. At least, that's what she hoped for.

By 6:15, Melissa had to cut the session, her parents were up by now and she needed to get back home. El said her goodbye to Harley. Melissa promised her that she would get to see him again, soon. It brightened her mood. Once she made sure El was back in Mike's basement, she and Harley started the trek back home. The house was still quiet when she returned. The kitchen light was on, but there was no movement. She quietly trotted up the stairs and could hear one of her parents were in the shower.

Perfect timing.

She rushed to the bathroom in order to get ready for the day. At breakfast, Melissa mentioned to her mother that she may get a call from the police later on. This nearly sent her mother into a frenzy. "The cops? What the hell did you do, Mel?"

Melissa leaned back and raised her arms up, "I didn't do anything. But, something else happened and they're gonna need to question me about it."

"About what?"

"Barb."

Everyone at the table paused, their eyes staring at her. She suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"What happened with Barb?" Her mother questioned.

Melissa gave a dramatic sigh and rolled her head to the side. "Mom, please, I don't want to talk about it right now. Just, be prepared for the call."

Her mother mumbled something incoherent as she returned to her breakfast. Clearly, this wasn't the best way to start her morning. She surmised it was better to have Melissa warn her, instead of getting a surprise call from the police.

Melissa's anxiety got the best of her. When she arrived at school, her stomach twisted into knots. She felt sick like she was going to throw up. Every ounce of her being was trying to convince her to go home and lay in bed. A part of her didn't even want to speak with the police. They were only going to look at her like she's crazy. A teenage girl who's just making up a wild story about her friend being missing.

Melissa let out a sigh when she reached her locker. Her head throbbed prompting her to pinch the bridge of her nose. Nothing like overthinking a situation to get herself in the mood. "They're definitely going to ask about her running away," Melissa said to herself, quickly dialing in the locker combo and flinging it open.

"Hughes."

Melissa pulled a book from her locker, internally groaning at the voice she heard. _Steve, please just go away._ She pretended to ignore him, busying herself with messing about in her locker. But, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steve standing next to her. "What do you want, Harrington? Just know that I'm not in the mood."

"Nancy told me you both went back to my place yesterday."

Melissa turned to look at Steve, his eyes were dead set on hers, something about the look he had made her hesitate. "Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Melissa paused. She blinked at him, her lips pursing together in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you guys just let me know?"

 _Was he actually being serious right now?_ Leave it to Steve Harrington to try and make it about himself somehow. "We weren't sure how serious it was. We didn't want to get anyone else riled up."

"Yeah, well, you guys should have told me."

"Since when did we have to run everything by you." Melissa hit back with a viciousness she's never directed towards him before. Granted, there have been several times in the past where she and Steve would bicker with each other. But not much care or attention was made on her part.

While it was surprising, the tone of her voice didn't sway him. He merely persisted. "This has to do with my house."

"Uh, last time I checked, your father owns that house, not you."

"You know what I mean, Hughes."

"No, actually I don't." Melissa's patience was already low, now with Steve going at her, that bar has dropped tremendously. "Nancy and I went to look for Barb. Sorry for not telling you but I was really worried about my friend. It shouldn't be a big deal."

"It is a big deal because now my parents are going to find out that I threw a party while they were gone."

"And I'm supposed to care, why?" _He actually expected her to feel sorry for him?_ "You're the dumbass who decided to throw a party while they were away. That's on you."

"Well, I didn't think Barb was gonna go missing." Steve pressed his back against the locker, his hand brushed through his messy hair. She could tell he was thinking about the deep shit that he was in. "God, my parents are going to kill me."

Melissa couldn't help but roll her eyes at Steve's pity party. "Oh, get over yourself! Barb is missing, we have no idea where she is, or if she's even safe. And you're worried about getting an ass-whooping from your parents?" Melissa scoffed. She shoved her jacket into her locker, then slammed the locker closed, her eyes fixed on Steve in a deadpan look. "Fuck off, Harrington."

* * *

 _"Melissa Hughes."_

The teenager was startled. She sat up in her seat and found the source of the voice. It was the Vice Principal. Suddenly, every single student in the classroom was staring at her, as if she had committed a crime. Quietly, and swiftly, she gathered up her belongings and left the room with the Vice Principal. She was taken to the cafeteria, where her mother was already waiting outside the entrance of the cafeteria. She could only offer a thin smile at the worried look on her mother's face.

"You two can go on in."

Melissa ambled into the empty lunchroom, where two cops were stationed at one of the tables. One of them, Callahan-it took Melissa a moment to remember his name-waved them over and motioned for both of them to take a seat. She carefully sat herself down, as Julia took the seat right next to her. The teenager remained quiet, watching the two officers across from her. Both were reading through their little notebooks, going through what Nancy had told them. They exchanged a few words and then focused their attention on her.

"Alright, we're gonna start off easy, okay?" Callahan started, as he flipped to a clean page. Melissa only nodded. "When was the last time you saw, and spoke, with Barbara?"

"I saw her twice and spoke with her once." He nodded for her to continue. "The first occasion was after school on Tuesday. Barb and I walked to my car together and we were talking about the party that Steve was throwing that night." She licked her lips as she recalled the conversation. "Barb asked me if I was able to go that night, to the party. But, I said I couldn't because I had other obligations."

"And, what were those obligations?" The other officer, Powell, asked the next question.

"I was babysitting my younger sister, and I was having dinner with Nancy's family." She shifted in her seat, the weight of her guilt was starting to make her feel sick. "She asked me if I could just bail out, ask my brother if he could watch my sister. I told her that I couldn't, mostly because I just didn't want to go to the party."

"Why not?" Powell asked.

Melissa shrugged. "Didn't like the people that were gonna be there."

Both officers scribbled down a few notes before Callahan continued the questioning. "Okay, and that last time you saw Barb?"

"It was at the Wheeler's home after we had all eaten dinner. Barb was picking Nancy up and I was standing at the front door. I saw Barb in her car and I just...waved. Then, they left." There was a small ache that formed in her chest. That was the last time Melissa saw Barb before she disappeared. Melissa quickly shook away the thought, she needed to keep herself grounded.

"Okay, when did you first notice that something might have been wrong?"

Her hands clenched into fists, she leveled her breathing to keep herself calm. She had to keep herself calm throughout this ordeal or they'll lose whatever chance they had on finding Barb. "In the mornings, Barb always met up at my locker and we would walk together to my first class, but she never showed up. I didn't think much of it, I thought maybe she was just running late, it's happened before," her eyes were drawn to Callahan's pen as he jotted down more notes. "Fourth period, our classes are across the hall from each other and we have lunch afterward. When class ended, I waited for her but I never saw her walk out of class. It was a little weird but I tried not to overthink it. But, when I got to the cafeteria Nancy asked if I had seen Barb all day, that's when I started to get a little worried."

The officers exchanged looks. Nancy had told them something similar during her session. That when Melissa admitted to not having seen Barb all day, she started to grow suspicious. "So, what was the turning point for you?" Powell asked.

"After school, I drove to Barb's house to see if she was there. I thought if her car was in the driveway then that was it. You know, that meant, she was either sick or decided to skip school. I had nothing to worry about." Melissa paused. The sheer dread she felt upon seeing that Barb's car wasn't at her house was almost nauseating. "Her car wasn't there. I knew then that something was wrong. But, I had my sisters with me so I drove them home. And about fifteen minutes after I got home, I get a call from Nancy, asking me to come pick her up from school. I did and she told me to take her to Steve's because she wanted to look for Barb."

"And that's when you two saw this...thing, right?" Callahan interjected. The skepticism dripping from his voice made Melissa want to roll her eyes, she strained to prevent herself from doing so. "It was a bear, or something else."

"I don't know what it was but I can assure you that it wasn't a bear, or a deer, or anything we've seen before in the woods. It was standing on two legs."

"So, what a person, maybe?"

"No, it wasn't a person." Her answer garnered her doubtful looks from the officers. "It was tall, it had long arms," she noticed the way they both stared at her like she was insane. "I know this sounds crazy but I'm not making this up. That thing...whatever it is, it took Barb. You have to go back there and check."

"We did. A whole sweep of the area and we found nothing. And her car wasn't there either."

Melissa looked at Callahan as if he had just said something crazy. _How was her car not there?_ "W-what?"

They both regarded her for a moment. Powell wrote something down as Callahan proceeded to ask, "can you think of any reason that Barb may have wanted to run away?"

Melissa's reaction was instantaneous. She sat back in her chair and gave the biggest eye roll she could manage without hurting herself. This was the question she was waiting for. "Barb didn't run away."

"Maybe, she was upset that Nancy was spending time with this guy," Callahan quickly glanced down at his notebook and read out the name scribbled out in his messy handwriting, "Steve?"

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes glared at Callahan for the way he skimmed over her answer. "Didn't you hear me?" Her voice was sharp, causing all of the adults around her to tense up. "Barb didn't run away."

"We're just trying to cover every possibility." Callahan continued, making sure to keep his voice leveled and calm. "Perhaps, after the little debacle she and Nancy had, she might have just wanted to get away."

"No." Melissa shook her head, not believing the fact that they were treating this as a runaway case.

"Or, perhaps, you and Nancy might be covering for her. Maybe this whole story was a distraction so that Barb wouldn't get in trouble?" Powell offered.

And, Melissa was rendered speechless. Her gaze shifted between the two officers, she wanted nothing more than to go off on them. What the hell is wrong with them? "No, that's not what happened." Melissa heard the way her voice wavered and she wanted to scream in frustration. She's losing control over herself. _Come on Hughes, keep it together._

Powell, seeing the venomous glare the teenager was giving, attempted to calm her," Melissa we're just trying-"

"You don't know anything!" Melissa snapped. _Shit._ There was no way she could back down now. "You two don't know anything about Barb. She would never run away. She would never do that to her parents, or her friends. Never. And even if she was like that, she wouldn't run away just because she and Nancy couldn't see eye-to-eye about a guy! And the fact that you two think Nancy and I would let Barb do that." She stopped quickly, knowing full well what the next words would have been. _Then you both are absolute dumbasses._

Julia took hold of Melissa's arm, in an effort to calm her daughter. But, she was having none of it. Melissa yanked her arm out of her mother's hold. "I know you probably think I'm just some crazy teen, making up some elaborate story for god knows why. I can see it with how you two are looking at me. I'm not crazy. I'm not covering for Barb. She didn't run away. Barb is _missing_! And that thing took her. And, you have to find her. You have to find her before it's too late."

Both officers remained quiet, allowing Melissa the time to vent out all of her pent-up frustration. Although, Julia was looking at her daughter as if she had just cussed out the policemen. Never has she seen her daughter react like this, especially not with the officers.

Melissa noticed how her hands started to shake. She quickly rested them in her lap and started taking in deep breaths. This is what she gets for letting herself get out of line. Her own flimsy anxiety always has to get in the way of her self-control. _Calm down. Calm down, Hughes._ Soon, the shaking wormed down to her legs, causing them to bounce uncontrollably. She tried to gain control over it, but the attempt was futile. She had to get out of here. She didn't want to answer any more of their questions. Why should she? They don't believe a single word she's said so far.

Powell had been watching her intently. The way her hands trembled, her torso shook with every leg bounce. He's encountered this many times when he would question teens around here. And he's dealt with a few mouthy ones as well. "Melissa, if it's alright, may we just ask a few more questions?"

The shaking in her leg grew worse. One more minute in this godforsaken room and she might actually lose her mind. She glanced up at Powell and, vigorously, shook her head. "No," Melissa shot up from her seat and grabbed her coat and bag. "I want to leave. Please, I don't want to be here anymore and I don't want to answer any more of your questions."

Julia stood up and wrapped an arm around her daughter. "Melissa, sweetheart, they just want to ask a few more questions."

"No," she stepped away from her mother's hold and looked to Powell and Callahan. "You have everything that I know. That's all I know. Can I please go?"

Powell was merciful. He nodded his answered, prompting Melissa to bolt out of the cafeteria. Julia stayed behind for a moment, to offer her apologies for Melissa's behavior. The two officers brushed off the apology, there wasn't a need for one. They chalked it up to Melissa being distraught over her friend's disappearance.

"If we need to question her again, we'll call you."

….

Melissa shoved open the front door, marched into the house with only one thought on her mind. She wanted to get to her room and be left alone. However, her mother was right on her tail. "Melissa!"

The teenager started up the stairs, thinking that she could get to her room fast enough, but Julia caught a hold on her arm, forcing her daughter to look at her. "We need to talk about what happened back at the school."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean." Julia placed a hand on her hip. "You can't just go off on the policemen like that."

"Oh, please. I didn't say half the things I wanted to." Melissa rolled her head to the side and groaned. "They didn't even believe me. I told them the truth and they didn't believe me. You heard them, mom. They actually asked if Nancy and I were covering for Barb running away."

"Are you?"

"What?"

"Are you covering for her, or for something?"

Melissa yanked her arm out from her mother's grip. "Are you fucking kidding?" She sneered.

"Hey!" Julia gave her daughter a pointed look.

"No! Are you kidding me, mom?" Melissa could feel her face start to heat up, her eyes began to sting at the tears gathering in her waterline. "You actually think that Nancy and I would let that happen? That we would actually let Barb run away. You think we're that stupid?!"

"Melissa, sweetheart, no," Julia took a moment to backtrack. There had to have been a better way to approach her about the possibility. "No, I know you're not stupid. I just needed to know for sure. I have no idea what you kids are doing these days. And the police, they know what they're doing. They were asking you questions that needed to be asked."

"Really?" Melissa shouted. "I felt like they weren't even listening to me. Like they couldn't take me seriously." Her voice tapered off, her lip trembled, and that familiar ache in her throat returned. "Barb is missing. She's out there somewhere, scared and alone, and no one gives a shit!"

"Melissa,"

She turned and ran up the stairs, completely ignoring her mother calling her name. She felt like she was going to break down. And the last thing she wanted was for her mother to witness it. Melissa barged into her room and slammed the door shut, making sure to lock it. Standing in place, she leaned her back against the door, expecting to hear her mother come up the stairs. But there was nothing. Only silence. In the privacy of her room, she finally allowed herself to break. Her legs buckled, causing her to slide down until she was sitting on the floor. She tucked her knees to her chest and buried her face in her hands.

The first cry was nothing more than a muffled sob.

This whole thing was an absolute nightmare. Being questioned by the cops felt like it lead to nothing. They actually asked if she and Nancy were covering for Barb. What logical reasoning would Barb have to run away? She had a great life here. Parents who absolutely adored-nearly worshiped her, due to being their only child, and friends who would do anything for her. She could hear Callahan's voice in her head, repeating the question, looking at her as if he was doubting every word that left her mouth.

Melissa furiously wiped her cheeks and sniffled. She took in a few deep breaths, in an effort to calm herself and in her moment of tranquility, she glanced around her room. Then, she pushed herself up and went right to her vanity. The entire border of the mirror was covered in polaroids of Melissa with various people: Mike, her sisters and brothers, her parents, Nancy, and… "Barb."

The name fell past her lips as an anguished whisper.

She pulled the Polaroid from the mirror and sat down on her bed, her eyes glanced over the photo as if it was the first time she was seeing it. Dec 23 '82, was scribbled in her messy handwriting. In the photo was Melissa with Nancy and Barb, the three of them sporting handmade sweaters that had been given to them as early gifts. A smile lit up her face. It was a gathering that Karen and Julia had planned for Christmas. Barb and her parents were one of many who attended the little get together.

The phone on her nightstand began to ring. She didn't move from her spot, allowing it to continue ringing. Only, a few seconds after, it started ringing again. Annoyed, Melissa leaned over and answered, "hello?"

 _"Mel, you're home, good."_

Her brows scrunched together, all of the attention she had been paying on the photo, was now on her cousin. "Yeah, I'm home. What's up?"

 _"I need to see you, like right now."_

"Why?" She groaned and placed the photo on her nightstand. "After my talk with the police, I'm not really in the mood, Nance."

 _"This is important."_ Nancy urged. _"It's about Barb."_

Melissa took a deep breath, her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose, debating whether she was going to agree or not. She would much rather sleep for the rest of the day. But, it was both urgent and about Barb. There was no way she could disagree with this meetup. "Okay, fine." She answered.

 _"I'll be over there soon."_

Melissa hung up the phone. A soft knock at her door made her go silent. "Melissa?" It was just her mother. She immediately relaxed.

"Sweetheart, I need to get back to work. Are you going to be alright by yourself."

"Yeah, I'll be fine mom. I'll see you later." Her answer sounded monotonous as if she had spewed those exact phrases out several times before, which she had.

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too."

She went quiet, again. Only to make sure that her mother was out of the house. She could hear a car door open and close. Turning quickly, she peered out her window and watched until her mother's car disappeared from her sight.

Melissa jumped up from her bed and as she passed her mirror she paused, inching closer to examine her reflection. There were noticeable tear stains on her cheeks and her eyes were red and irritated. She pouted at the image before her and then retreated into the bathroom. The only thing on her mind was to rid as much of the evidence on her face as possible.

She dampened a cloth with cold water, squeezed out the excess, and placed the rag over her eyes. There were about five minutes to spare before Nancy would arrive. It should be enough time to get herself ready. She counted one minute- 57, 58, 59, 60- then pulled the rag from her face and gazed at her reflection. The redness already had reduced quite a bit. But, she could go for another minute. After rinsing out the rag, she placed it over her eyes and counted another minute. When the minute was up, she pulled off the rag and tossed it into the sink. She then dried her face with a towel.

"Much better." She said after examining herself in the mirror.

About five minutes later, the doorbell rang, sending Harley into a frenzy. He ran down the stairs, barking the entire way. As Melissa descended the stairs, she thought about how lucky she was that it was just her in the house at the moment. Harley was at the door, his tail wagging excitedly, wanting to see who was at their house. Melissa grabbed hold of his collar and gently pushed him back. Using her other hand, she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Nancy quickly slipped in. The grip Melissa had on Harley's collar loosened and Nancy quickly gave the animal a few rubs and scratches, "hey buddy."

"So, what's up?" Melissa wasted no time.

Nancy gave Harley a scratched behind the ear, then straightened her back, her face fell as she held a photo out to Melissa. 'This is what's up."

She glanced down at the photo. It had been taped together but she saw the familiar image of Barb sitting on the diving board. It was like a punch in the gut. She had just gotten over her crying fit, and now she felt like another one was coming along. Melissa hesitated. She looked away from the image and sighed, "why are you showing me this photo again?"

"Look at it," Nancy insisted, pushing the image closer to her cousin. "There's something else there."

With her brow arched, Melissa took the photo from Nancy and it didn't take long for her to find what Nancy was talking about. There was something there, standing behind Barb. Melissa held the photo closer, hoping she would be able to make out some of the features. But, the photo was too dark. However, there was something familiar about it, she couldn't place a finger on it though. "What is this?"

"I don't know. I thought you might have some ideas."

Melissa's eyes squinted, a desperate effort to make out what the figure was in the image. "I don't know, Nance. It's too dark and blurry for me to make it out. I think it could be a distortion of sorts."

Nancy shrugged. She moved to stand next to Melissa and glanced down at the photo. "Seems too much of a coincidence to me. This is the last known sighting of Barb and there just happens to be this thing in the background.."

"Wait a minute," Melissa looked over at her cousin. "Where did you get this photo? You never told me."

Nancy swallowed hard. She had completely forgotten the fact that Melissa had no idea where this photo came from. Nor did she know the story behind it. "Uh, well," Nancy kept her eyes on the photo, trying to think of a simple way of explaining this to her. "I got this photo from...Jonathan."

"Byers?"

"Of course, who else?"

"Jonathan Byers went to a party at Steve's house?" Melissa asked, incredulously. There was no way that Steve invited Jonathan, especially with Tommy and Carol hanging around him.

"Not exactly."

Melissa raised her brows, prompting for her cousin to explain because she was beyond confused at this point.

"Jonathan was there but...he was in the woods behind Steve's house and he took some photos of us."

All Melissa could do was stare at Nancy, who made sure to keep her eyes on the photo. Although, she could feel Melissa staring at her. Nancy shifted her stance and finally allowed herself to look at Melissa.

"Are you serious?" The side of Melissa's mouth turned upward. Nancy rolled her eyes, effectively answering Melissa's question. "Wow, that's totally not creepy at all."

Nancy took the photo from Melissa's hand, "that's not the point." She said, turning the conversation away from the awkward subject. "The point is, Jonathan took this photo, which means he's the last person who saw Barb that night. Maybe, he saw something that can help us find her."

"Don't you think that if he saw something he would have come forward?"

"You never know," Nancy shrugged. "Some people just don't want to get involved."

"Or maybe he just didn't want to get caught with those photos in his possession."

"Okay, can we please just forget about the photos for a second?" Nancy stood in front of her cousin, who was ready to make another argument but Nancy beat her to the punch. "The focus should be on finding Barb."

"Okay, okay fine." Melissa was willing to forget the photos for now, although that creepy fact is not going to go away anytime soon. "What do you wanna do?"

"We need to ask him about that night, and hopefully, he'll have information that will help us find Barb."

* * *

Before leaving the house, the girls contacted the Byers' residence and spoke with Joyce, asking if Jonathan was there. He wasn't. Joyce told them that they could probably find him at the funeral home. She sounded frazzled and distracted as if they had called her in the middle of something. It made sense though. Just last night, Joyce found out that Will was dead. Neither of the girls expected her to be 'normal'. Melissa gave her thanks and sympathy before hanging up the phone. It was one of the more awkward conversations she's had. Nevertheless, they got Jonathan's location and quickly set out to find him.

Nancy and Melissa marched up the steps of the funeral home. Before they stepped inside, Melissa grabbed Nancy by the arm until she was facing her. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We need to find out what this is," Nancy held up the photograph, prompting Melissa to push her arm down when she saw a passerby.

"The last thing we need is for anyone to see that," Melissa explained after seeing the confused look on her cousin's face. Staring at the door, she thought about how morbid this was. Jonathan was in there, preparing for Will's funeral and they were going in to question about a photograph. We should have picked a better time to do this.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Melissa pushed open the door, noticing how quiet the door was. She expected it to make an absurd amount of noise. She stepped in, and after Nancy came through, she quietly closed the door. They ambled their way through until the main parlor came into view. Inside, Jonathan was talking with one of the workers, trying to see which casket would suit best for Will. Melissa swallowed at the scene before her and she almost panicked, wanting nothing more than to grab Nancy and bolt out of there.

Jonathan noticed the two girls standing in the entryway. Although confused at first, Jonathan excused himself from the worker and slowly approached the duo.

"Hey," Nancy greeted him, her body growing tense when Jonathan didn't reply. She shouldn't have expected anything else. He was currently looking for a casket for his brother, no one would be in a good mood. "I just...I'm sorry for everything."

Melissa bit down on her lip as she looked past him, into the parlor. All of the open, empty caskets that were on display made a wave of dread wash over her. She couldn't imagine how absolutely heartbreaking this had to be for him. She started imagining herself in his place, having to find a coffin for her sisters or Mike. Glancing over at Nancy, she had a mind to cut this session short. It wasn't a good idea to come down here to see him. At least, not right now. But, when she thought about the photo Nancy had shown her, it sparked a whole new determination within her.

"Hey, Jonathan," Melissa spoke, offering a faint smile when the teenager looked at her. "Is it alright if we talked to you for a moment?"

He only nodded.

Melissa searched around her and spotted a bench near the end of the main hallway. She nodded her head in its direction and Jonathan was quick to get the memo. The three of them took a seat on the bench and Melissa gestured for Nancy to get the picture. After sifting through her bag, Nancy pulled out the taped up photograph. "We were hoping that you could clear something up for us," she held the photo out to him, making his entire body grow tense. The entire situation turned awkward.

Until Melissa managed to save it. "Nancy pointed it out to me," she reached her hand over and pointed at the blurred figure behind Barb. "Can you possibly tell us what this is? Does it look like a person to you, or is it some kind of distortion?"

Jonathan stared at the photo and hesitated. He couldn't but wonder, did Melissa know about the whole photo fiasco? Why wouldn't she? If she did, then she was doing a hell of a job with hiding it. While he still felt embarrassed about the whole ordeal, Jonathan was able to chuck away his vanity in order to help them. Carefully, he took the photo and examined the anomaly that Melissa had pointed out. He studied it, for a few moments, then shook his head. "You're right, well kinda right," he quickly glanced at Melissa. "It could be some kind of perspective distortion, but I wasn't using a wide angle."

"So, do you think that this could actually be something… physical? Like, something was actually there?"

Again, Jonathan shook his head and shrugged, "it's possible, I don't know but it is weird." He handed the photo to Nancy.

"And you're sure that you didn't see anyone else out there?" Nancy questioned, her left brow arched up.

"No, I mean she was there for one moment and then she was gone. I just assumed that she bailed."

Nancy's face relaxed, the bitterness from the cop's questioning earlier made a reappearance. "The cops think that she just ran away."

"Which is such bull shit." Melissa fumed, her arms folded across her chest and her back leaned against the wall.

"Yesterday, we both went back to Steve's house," Nancy began to recount their experience. "We saw something...it was this strange man."

"The police think that we're just making it all up. They're gonna treat this as a runaway, no surprise there."

"I'm sorry." Jonathan offered a quiet apology, feeling guilty as well. If only he had paid more attention, maybe he would have seen something.

The three teenagers sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. For Melissa and Nancy, it felt as if they just ran into a dead end. Nancy, after taking a long glance around her, suddenly felt the realization hit her. She glanced over at Jonathan, then to the funeral home's sign above the parlor doorway. What the hell was she doing here? This was a terrible idea. "I'm sorry," Nancy suddenly apologized. She stood up, grabbed Melissa by the arm, pulling her up as well. "We shouldn't have come here, I'm sorry."

Melissa scoffed as Nancy started to lead them out of the building. "That's what I pointed out earlier." She whispered, prompting Nancy to pinch at her arm.

"What did he look like?"

Jonathan's question made both girls pause. Melissa couldn't believe what Jonathan had just asked them. Only, the look in his eyes when she turned around made her body tremble. "What?" she asked.

"The man in the woods...what did he look like?"

Suddenly, she felt breathless. As if she forgot how to breathe. "He was...tall." Melissa began, although, she was quite hesitant with divulging these details. "Really tall, fast, had long arms."

"He um, I don't know," Nancy began, she crossed her arms over her chest, feeling uncomfortable with recounting what they had seen. "But, it looked like he had no-"

"No face?" Jonathan interrupted.

"How do you know about that?"

Jonathan immediately shot up from the bench and approached the two. "He had no face, right?"

The girls could only nod their heads, still perplexed as to how Jonathan knew this detail. "Are you going to tell us how you know that?" Melissa asked.

"My mom."

"Your mother?" Both girls asked.

"Yeah, she told me that," he paused and stepped closer so that none of the funeral home workers would hear their conversation. "She told me that this thing came through the wall… and he had no face."

"Oh, fuck." Melissa ran a hand through her hair, dread filling her entire body. So this thing was real. It had to be. Now, it wasn't just Nancy and Melissa who encountered this thing. Joyce has seen it too. Although, Melissa wasn't sure if that was a comforting thought. "Is there any way that you can enhance this image? Possibly get a close up of the thing in the photo? We need to figure out what this is because...it could possibly be what we saw."

Jonathan nodded, having already thought of it. "The school," he said. "We'll go to the school and I can enlarge the image for you."

For the first time that day, Melissa felt hopeful. Perhaps, this will lead them on the right path. Maybe they'll be able to find Barb after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay! Another update...that is unfortunately another two-parter. I will admit, this two parter is a little mellow but we all know it will start to pick up after that. I hope you all enjoyed it! A review would be much appreciated! Until next time!


	6. The Anomaly, Part Two

Chapter Five | The Anomaly, Part Two

"Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all."

\- Yvon Chouinard

* * *

"And, you're sure that it's okay for us to be in here."

Jonathan flipped a switch, washing the entire room in a deep, red glow. He cast a quick glance over his shoulders at Melissa. "Of course. You're not planning on destroying any of the equipment, are you?"

Melissa frowned. "Of course not."

"Then you're good."

Just in case, Melissa checked both sides of the hallway, making sure that there was no one else around. When it was clear, she stepped into the darkroom and closed the door behind her. Jonathan went to work. Melissa had no idea what he was doing, she was content with just sitting in the back, giving him room to work.

The red glow began to strain her eyes. She wasn't used to standing in a room where the only light source made her feel like she was in some kind of stingy nightclub. She rubbed at her eyes and turned to Nancy, who was standing next to her. "My eyes can't take this."

Nancy could only chuckle at her cousin's predicament. "If you want, you can wait outside if it's too much."

"Nah," Melissa tried to blink away the water from her eyes. "Nah, I'm good. I can tough it out."

The sound of shoes squeaking against linoleum was the only thing that occupied the silence around them. Nancy and Melissa watched Jonathan, fluidly working with the machines, as he has done hundreds of times. Melissa took a moment to admire the technology that surrounded them. There was a time when she was fascinated with photography and had a real love for taking photos-she still does. However, Melissa's knowledge of photography is limited to Polaroid cameras, other than that, she has no clue.

Nancy was the first one to break the silence. Stepping up alongside Jonathan, she watched him at work. "Are you sure your mom didn't say anything else? Like, where it might have gone?"

"No." Jonathan flipped a switch on the enlarger, "She only said that the thing came out of the wall."

"Came out of the wall?" Melissa questioned. She saw Jonathan nod his head, prompting her to continue. "And there was no damage?"

Jonathan flipped the switch again and went to another machine, but spared a glance over at Melissa. "No. The wall was completely intact when I got home. There was nothing."

His answer threw her into a stump. "How the hell is that possible? I mean if this thing really did come out of your wall, how is it that there was no gaping hole?"

Jonathan could only chuckle at the insanity this entire situation has conjured. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Melissa said no more. She joined both Jonathan and Nancy at one of the stations, content with watching the photo in the bath of chemicals.

"How long does this take?" Nancy asked.

"Not long."

"Have you been doing this long?"

"What?"

"Photography."

Jonathan shrugged. "Yeah, I mean I guess I'd rather observe people than...you know."

"Talking." Both girls offered.

"Yeah, I know it's weird."

Melissa frowned for a moment before her lips curled into a smirk. "No, it's not. Trust me, there are times when I keep my mouth shut and don't' say anything to anyone."

"I appreciate the thought," Jonathan offered. "But sometimes people don't really say what they're really thinking, but when you capture the right moment, it says more."

"What was I saying? When you took my picture?"

Melissa felt her entire body freeze at the awkwardness that fell over them. She started to chew on her thumbnail, wondering why on earth Nancy would ask him about those photos? Next, to her, Jonathan tensed and awkwardly wiped at his mouth.

"I shouldn't have taken that," Jonathan whispered to himself, the humiliation was dripping from his voice.

Melissa scratched the back of her head, her chest ached at the how fast the mood shifted between them. "Nance, did you really have to bring that up?"

Nancy's eyes widened, not necessarily seeing the wrong in her questions. "I was just curious."

The three teenagers grew quiet. Melissa wanted nothing more than to just walk out of the room. Plus, she could really go for a cigarette right about now. Jonathan quickly breathed out an apology. And as Melissa glanced down at the photo, she felt her heart stop at the newly developed image.

"Nancy." Her panicked voice alerted the others as they were now all staring at the image. Melissa pointed at the photo, her entire hand was shaking. "That's it."

"That's what we saw." Nancy edged closer, desperately trying to get a better view of it.

"My mom I thought she was crazy. But she said that's not Will's body, that he's alive."

"And if he's alive," Nancy started.

"Then, Barb could be as well."

Melissa blinked and leaned back, staring at the two teenagers next to her. "Wait, I spoke with Mike, he said that it was Will they pulled out of the quarry. And if it wasn't him, then who was it?"

"It could have just been someone else?"

Melissa tapped her finger against the table, then slowly shook her head at Nancy's words. "Someone else with the same exact clothes Will was wearing the night he disappeared? Besides, no other kid has been reported missing, aside from Barb." Melissa stepped away and began to pace around the small studio. "It had to be intentional then, right?"

Nancy and Jonathan turned, both sporting confused looks.

"The body they found at the quarry," Melissa clarified. "What if the body was dressed to look like Will for a reason, that means...someone had to put it there."

"They wanted it to be found," Jonathan added.

Melissa covered her mouth and took in a deep breath. God, she felt like she was turning into one of those conspiracy nuts. But, if Joyce was correct in assuming that the body wasn't Will, it had to have been placed there intentionally, which begs the bigger question, where was he?

Nancy wasn't quick to fall on the bandwagon. She huffed out a breath and gave a half smile. "But, who would want to make all of us believe that Will is dead?"

Silence.

Melissa leaned against the wall and washed a hand down her face. This was going too far. She was going to lose her mind by continuing to think this. "I don't know. I'm just spewing out crap. What do we do now?"

Jonathan bit down on his lip before turning back to the photo. "We come up with a plan." He pulled the photo out of the tub and clipped it on the string to dry.

"What kind of plan?" Melissa stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest.

He stashed the photo into his bag, making sure to put it in a place where it wouldn't get ruined. "Uh," he turned to the girls and paused, realizing that he had no idea what the plan was. "I'll, uh, I'll figure it out. The funeral is going to be tomorrow. If I come up with anything, I'll tell you then."

With that, the three teenagers shuffled out into the hallway. It was silent. Melissa glanced down at her watch. Only ten minutes before school let out and the last thing they needed was for a teacher to spot them. Melissa turned to the others, "we better hurry and leave."

They scurried out of the school, jogging all the way to their cars. Jonathan assured the girls that he would have some kind of plan mapped out by tomorrow. After exchanging goodbyes, Melissa and Nancy got in their car, and sat in silence, watching Jonathan pull out of the parking. As they sat in silence, Melissa pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply. The smoke flooded out from her nose and mouth, washing her body with a satisfying numbness.

"You hungry?" Melissa's question pierced the silence, startling her cousin.

Nancy casually glanced over at Melissa, her brows arched up. "What?"

Melissa inhaled another round and leaned her head against the seat. "Because I've worked up an appetite and I could really go for a greasy cheeseburger." She turned to look at Nancy. "I'm buying."

* * *

" _Do you know how to get there? To the upside-down?"_

Eleven, who was laid out on the couch, calmly shook her head no to Mike's question.

The boys deflated in their seats, Lucas was the most agitated by Eleven's answer. This place, the upside-down, it was an alternate dimension. Will was there, he had to be. Eleven was consistent with the fact that he was hiding. The night they pulled the body from the quarry, Eleven had led them to Will's house.

 _Hiding._ She was adamant. Will was hiding.

It was only now that Mike and the others were able to piece together this mind-bending puzzle. Mike stared down at the flipped over gameboard, running through the information over and over again. "We need to find out how to get there."

"The upside-down?" Dustin questioned, then gestured down at the D&D guidebook. "There's no way we can. It's an alternate dimension, Mike."

"Yeah, and besides, if the weirdo doesn't know how to get there, then we're screwed." Lucas chimed in, earning a faint eye roll from Mike.

"There has to be someone that we can ask," Mike said, more to himself than anything.

That's when Dustin's eyes widened and he sat up in his chair, a bright grin on his face. "Mr. Clarke. He's probably gonna be at the funeral tomorrow, we can ask him."

"Don't you think he would find it odd when we ask him about alternate dimension?"

Dustin's gaze faltered at Lucas' question. "We don't just ask him upfront like, hey we're searching for alternate dimensions. No. You ease him into the conversation with a hypothetical. That way, he won't think we're serious." Dustin waited for his peer's approval, which came in half-assed nods.

It was a long shot. However, Mr. Clarke was very open about the boys' curiosity, willing to answer any and all questions they have. Besides, what other option did they have? The best they can do is get as much information from Mr. Clarke as possible and work from there.

"How do you think Mel's gonna feel when she hears about this?"

Lucas' question made Mike sit up in his seat. _Shit_. There was so much he had yet to tell her. Now, all he could think about was the promise he made her. That he would tell her if things started to get dangerous, or a little out of their control. While it was still somewhat tamed, Mike had a feeling this new knowledge was just going to complicate things even more. He had to tell her.

"I'll be right back."

Mike bolted up the basement steps, making sure to close the basement door behind him. The first place he went to was the kitchen, to use the phone. However, the minute he stepped in, Mike saw his mother talking on the phone. "Mom."

Karen continued to talk. Mike stepped forward. "Mom!"

Karen hesitated, then raised a hand up, telling Mike to wait a moment. But the kid was impatient. "Mom I need to use the phone!"

At this, Karen told the person on the other end to hold on, then turned to her son, eyes widened in disbelief at his rudeness. "Michael."

"I need to use the phone, please!"

"Michael I'm on the phone, you can wait until I'm done."

Mike went to argue when Karen turned around, effectively ending their conversation. In his frustration, Mike returned to the basement but headed for the side door. "You guys stay here. If my mom comes down, hide El." He gave the others no time to argue as he was out the door.

Mike ran to the garage, grabbed his bike and started off down the street. The sun was just starting to dip behind the horizon, and with it, the temperature as well. He sped up, wanting to get back home before his mom found out. Mike turned down Melissa's street and skidded to a stop in front of her house. Abandoning his bike in the driveway, Mike sprinted up the pathway and knocked on the door. From the other side, Harley was barking excitedly and Mike bounced on his toes, all of his patience had waned.

He knocked again and went to ring the doorbell when the front door opened. Chris was standing in front of Mike with a dish towel resting on his shoulder. "Hey, Mike."

"Hi," Mike looked past his cousin and slowly inched his way into the house. Chris could only stare at the kid with a perplexed look.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, just uh," Mike paused to give Harley a few pats on the head. "Just wanted to talk to Mel about something."

Mike then bolted up the stairs. It all happened so fast, Chris had no time to stop him. "Mike!" He tried calling after the kid, hoping it would get him to stop. Mike only ignored him and Chris was forced to go after him.

When he made it to the second floor, Mike turned down the hallway, nearly tripping over Harley who was running alongside him. "Harley." He whispered a warning to the dog. Mike didn't stop until he was outside her bedroom door. He frantically knocked against the wood, "Mel, I need to talk to you."

The door was already ajar and Mike slowly opened it to reveal an empty bedroom. Mike's shoulders slumped. Shit. If only his mom got off the phone, he could have called first. He turned to leave when he walked right into Chris.

Mike yelped in surprise.

"Whoa, hey, take it easy." Chris steadied Mike, gently holding him by the shoulders. "I was trying to tell you that Mel isn't here."

Figured that out. "Where is she?"

"I don't know." Chris went to close her bedroom door. "She was supposed to pick me up from work, never showed up. And she wasn't here when I got home."

That was...odd. "Okay, it's no big deal." Mike went to leave when Chris caught him by the arm.

"Hey, wait a minute, you don't just barge in here wanting to see Mel if something wasn't up." Chris blocked Mike's route out of the upstairs hallway, his arms folded tightly across his chest. "What's going on?"

Mike shrugged, "nothing."

"Are you in trouble? Do you need help?" Chris asked, completely bypassing Mike's nonchalant answer.

"No." Mike faltered under his cousin's gaze and quickly stashed his hands in his pockets.

Chris bit down on his lip, eyes narrowing in thought as he stared at his cousin. "Mike, you know that if something is wrong, you can tell me, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I know." Mike saw Chris raise his brows, expecting him to continue and spill out whatever was going on. He hesitated. "This is just something...between me and Mel. It's nothing bad." When he saw that Chris wasn't budging, Mike had to press on a little more. "I swear! It's nothing bad, I'm not in trouble. It's just something that she and I are...working on."

A pregnant pause followed afterward. It consisted of Chris eyeing down his cousin and Mike trying not to give in and tell him everything that's been going on. It was rather arduous to keep a secret like this from so many people, even if it was to protect them. All Mike could do was mentally berate himself for coming here. He should have just waited until Will's funeral to tell Melissa what was going on. That way, he wouldn't have had to deal with Chris.

After what seemed like an eternity, Chris finally gave in. "Okay. But if anything happens, you come talk to me."

"I will." Mike hoped that Chris didn't catch onto the way his voice faltered. He didn't want to sound off any alarms. Thankfully, Chris only chalked it up to Mike being upset over what happened with Will. It was a great cover-up.

Footsteps coming up the stairs caught both their attention. The culprit was Melissa who was caught off guard by the image of her brother and Mike standing at the other end of the hallway. She paused, her mouth parted as she regarded both of them. "What are you guys doing?"

"Mike came over looking for you."

At this, Melissa calmly approached Mike and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"Yeah?" She brushed her hand through his hair. "You sure about that?" She squinted her eyes, questioning the validity of his statement.

"I just...we need to talk." Mike nodded his head in the direction of Melissa's room, thinking that he was being stealth about it. But he wasn't. "You know about the thing...we're working on."

It only took a moment for her to catch on. She placed both hands on Mike's shoulder and glanced over at Chris. "We're gonna take care of this business, um if you don't mind."

"You know that you were supposed to pick me up after work, right?"

The realization dawned on her. Melissa's eyes gradually widened and she went to say something but could only manage to say, "shit, I'm sorry I just got caught up in a bunch of things."

With a wave of the hand, her brother let her off. "It's fine. I mean I guess I should probably scold you. So, just don't let it happen again."

Melissa kept back a laugh at the lackluster scolding her brother had given her. "Yes, I promise it won't happen again. So, do you mind..."

Chris raised his hands and started off down the hallway. "Alright, I got the memo, I'm leaving. Need to go finish up dinner anyway."

Melissa ushered Mike into her room and quickly closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it. She whirled around to look at Mike, her eyes widened, "what is so important?"

"There is a lot that you don't know about the whole Will situation."

Just what she needed. In a fluid motion, Melissa shredded off her jacket and tossed it onto the desk chair. Then, she sat down on her bed, "go ahead, tell me everything."

"Will isn't dead." There was no hesitation, no means to ease her into the conversation. Mike decided to just go all out. No need to hold onto the information anymore.

However, her reaction wasn't what Mike had expected. He was planning on her going on some kind of a tangent, wildly asking why he would think that. In short, he expected her to freak out. Instead, he got the exact opposite. Melissa straightened her back and her face was calm, nothing about her attitude screamed panic.

"Okay," she whispered to herself. This only made Mike more confused. "How do you know that he's alive?"

Well, at least he didn't have to worry about trying to calm her. "Last night, after you left, El was messing with my SuperCom. I heard Will. He was singing that song he really likes."

"And you're sure that it was him."

"Yeah. Then, earlier today Dustin, Lucas and I took El to the school."

"You did what?!"

Mike snapped his mouth shut, anxiously waiting for his cousin to start going off. The teenager simply breathed out a sigh and waved for him to continue. Mike did, but with caution. "We needed to get her to a better radio, so we used the one at AV Club. And we heard him, again. He was talking to his mom."

Wait, Will was talking with his mother. And this happened today, either before or after she was questioned by the police. God, she rolled her eyes at the thought. She could only imagine what her reaction would have been if she saw the boys tugging El around the school. "What did he say? Did he say where he was?"

"He said that it was like home, only dark and cold."

It was like home, only dark and cold. What the hell did that mean? "It was like home," Melissa repeated the words then laid down on her bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It was like home, only dark and cold. Well, that could be anywhere, right? So, what, is he in another state?"

Mike gawked at Melissa for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think it's like that." Mike situated himself on the bed next to Melissa. "The others and I talked about it and we think that Will might be in a different place."

"Yeah," Melissa raised her hands and gave Mike a look. "That's what I meant too."

"No, Mel, I mean like a different place. Like an... alternate dimension."

The absurdity of Mike's words was enough to render her speechless. Melissa could only stare at her cousin, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "Did you just say alternate dimension?" Mike nodded, however, it didn't help to alleviate Melissa's shock. She sat up, her eyes never leaving him. "An _alternate dimension_?"

He nodded again, this time a small amount of annoyance could be detected.

Melissa's face relaxed, her lips stretched into a grin and she gave a low chuckle. "No, there's no way he's in an-an alternate dimension."

"Where else could he be? He said that he was somewhere that looked like home, but it was colder and darker. What else could it be?"

Melissa shrugged, but the faint smile was still evident. It's one thing to have a young girl with powers and some weird beast roaming the woods, but an alternate dimension? "I don't know. Maybe he's somewhere close."

"How were we able to hear him then? Will wasn't talking through any kind of radio."

"Then, how did you all get him through?"

"El, she has powers, remember? I think somehow she was able to channel him through. He couldn't hear us, but we could hear him."

This was insane. How many times has she thought this? Too many. But it was true. This was Hawkins, Indiana. One of the most boring places to be. Nothing ever happens here. Now all of a sudden a tidal wave of weirdness decides to engulf them. Really, the more she thought about it, Melissa shouldn't be surprised by any of this. At this point, she was numb shocked. She could barely wrap her mind around the idea of a girl having powers, now she had to accept that Will was possibly in an alternate dimension.

Fuck my life. "Okay, no, we're not doing this tonight." Melissa stood up from the bed, signaling that it was the end of the conversation but Mike wasn't having it.

"I'm not making this up, Mel." The teenager slowly turned back to him. "Why would I tell you any of this if I didn't think it was true?"

She closed her eyes, grounding herself. Don't argue, just explain. "Okay, listen, I'm not saying that it's all bull. But, I can't do this right now Mike. I've had a long day." She turned away, facing the mirror of her vanity. "And I just need some sleep."

Melissa paused when her eyes glanced down at a lone polaroid sitting on her vanity. It was the one of Barb she had been looking at earlier. She timidly picked up the photo, completely forgetting that Mike was only a few feet away from her. The kid grew concern when she said nothing. Mike moved off the bed and slowly approached her until he was standing next to Melissa. His eyes were immediately drawn to the photo in her hand.

"Mel?" She never answered, almost as if she didn't even hear him. "Mel," he held onto her arm, effectively bringing the teenager out of her trance. Melissa jumped and quickly looked down at her cousin. "Are you okay?" Mike asked. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" His eyes were on the photo again.

Melissa immediately hid the photo behind her and shook her head. "No. No, of course not, it's just…"

"What? What's wrong?"

This wasn't Mike's problem, she didn't want him to worry about anything else. "Don't worry about, okay? I'll tell you whenever it's the right time, alright?"

Mike rolled his eyes. "Why not just tell me now? I've been telling you everything about El and Will."

"That's different, Mike."

"How?"

"Because I'm responsible for you. If anything happens to you, that's going to be on me. Besides, between the two of us, I'm the adult in this situation."

"You're only sixteen, Mel." Mike deadpanned.

"I'm still the adult. And you'll do as I say, understand?"

Mike relented. However, his stubbornness was trying to get the better of him. Something wasn't right. Melissa was bothered about something. It had to be serious, otherwise, why would she act like that?

"I just want to find him," Mike said, moving the topic away from her.

She only nodded, "I know, bud." She pulled him close to her and wrapped an arm around him. "Listen to me, tomorrow after the funeral, we can talk. You can tell me everything and I'll listen. We're gonna find him, I promise." _Maybe we'll find Barb too._

Melissa leaned away from Mike, prompting him to look up at her. "Does your mom know that you're here?"

"No. I wanted to call first but she was using the phone."

"Okay, well, you need to get back home before she finds out you bailed." Melissa placed her hands on Mike's shoulders and led him out of her room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Again, this two parter was pretty lackluster. I should have just made it into one long chapter, oh well! Hope you all enjoyed it still! A review is always appreciated!


	7. The Funeral

Chapter Seven | The Funeral

"Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there, I did not die"

\- _Mary Elizabeth Frye_

* * *

Melissa could only stare at her reflection, as she carefully adjusted the collar on her coat. She surveyed the black ensemble that was on her body. The mood in her home was somber. Everyone hardly spoke. Her parents were bereaved over the fact that they were about to attend the funeral of Will Byers. It only made them even more grateful that their children were alive and safe.

Except, according to Mike, Will was alive.

She's had the entire night to simmer on the new information, yet, she still had no idea if there was credence to the claim. She wasn't at the school when the kids heard him on the radio. Nor was she with Mike when El supposedly channeled Will through the Super Com. Melissa was still beating herself up from leaving Mike last night. The only thing she had to go on with was Mike's word. Despite her own reluctance, Mike was rather adamant. Besides, why would he lie about that?

There was a soft knock at her door.

"Yeah?"

The door opened, her mother peered in, offering a calming smile. "Everyone's waiting downstairs."

Melissa nodded. She fixed the sleeves of her coat then exited the room. When she made it downstairs, Mike, Nancy, Ted, and Karen, who was holding Holly, were all standing in the main hallway, along with the rest of her family. Chris agreed to stay home to watch the younger kids; Jessica, Laura, and Holly. Melissa approached Karen, who was holding a sleeping Holly in her arms. Karen gently handed Holly over to Melissa, the teenager gently rocked the sleeping toddler making sure to not wake her up.

The adults conversed for a few minutes, most likely trying to prepare themselves for the end of this terrible tragedy. Melissa, Nancy, and Mike could only stand in silence. All three of them exchanged glances between each other. This whole experience has been nothing but a bad fever dream. They just wanted it to be over.

"Alright, well, we should start heading out." Melissa's father quietly announced.

Melissa approached her brother and handed Holly over to him. Then, the group exited the house. Melissa got into the car with her parents, while Mike and Nancy rode with theirs.

The car ride was quiet, her parents only exchanged a few hushed words. At one point, Julie took hold of her husband's hand, trying to find some source of comfort. As a parent, this entire ordeal had been nothing but a nightmare. The level of paranoia she and all the other parents have been experiencing was crippling. Nothing like this ever happened in Hawkins. This was a small, _safe_ town where everyone knew each other. No one was ever in danger of being taken away. Yet, it happened. The quiet, peaceful facade that this town has a reputation for, was no longer there. No one felt safe.

When they arrived at the cemetery, a decent sized crowd had already gathered. Through the window, she could see Jonathan with his mother and...his father? She quickly stepped out of the car, gasping when she realized that it was Lonnie. _The one time he comes back is for the funeral of his son._ Her lips cinched to the side, then she slammed the car door shut.

The family conjured together and made their way to the gathering crowd. Melissa noticed Dustin who was standing with Lucas and his family. She walked up alongside Mike, her hand resting on his shoulder. They took their place in the crowd, with Melissa standing behind the three boys, her hand never leaving Mike's shoulder.

The service was, well, a typical funeral service. The pastor said a few blessings that were to bring comfort for Will's family. Although, Melissa never knew how she felt about it all. With religion and God. As she looked at the other attendees, she could see a few of them nodding in approval at the pastor's words. It must bring comfort to them. She focused her attention on the three boys in front of her. Dustin was sneaking a glance at someone else. When Melissa followed his gaze, he was looking at a young girl who was definitely in their grade.

Dustin nudged both Lucas and Mike, then nodded in the girl's direction. "Wait until we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral."

Melissa pinched Dustin in the arm. When the kid threw a glance her way, she stared him down, silently telling him to be quiet. She placed her hand on top of his head and made him face forward.

When the funeral was over, the crowd began to disperse. Most of the parents spoke with Lonnie, offering words of comfort. Joyce seemed lost, not able to communicate with anyone. Melissa had the urge to just tell her, right then and there, that Will was possibly alive. She wanted to ease the pain this woman was living with. However, she couldn't confirm it. The last thing Joyce needed was false hope.

There was a reception that was being held at a small church close to the cemetery. Everyone was starting to make their way to the building. Melissa told Mike and the others to go, and that she would be there soon. When the boys were out of sight, Melissa could hear someone calling her name.

"Mel."

She turned to the source, seeing Jonathan and Nancy huddled a little further away. She approached the pair, making sure that no one would notice. There was a piece of paper in Jonathan's hand. "What is that?" she inquired.

"I was able to make some connections about the disappearances," Jonathan explained. Then, he motioned for the girls to follow him. He took them a good distance away and sat down behind a huge tombstone, each girl sitting on either side of him. "Okay, so the connections are about the locations where it's been. So, this is Steve's house where Barb went missing and where you two saw the thing. Then, this is where Will's bike was found, and this is my house."

"It's all so close," Nancy said.

"At least a mile apart from each other." Melissa pointed out.

"Which also means that this thing isn't traveling very far, it's keeping itself within this area."

"But that doesn't mean it won't start branching farther out," Melissa added.

Both girls looked at Jonathan, a wave of determination crossed his face. "You want to go find it, don't you?" Nancy asked.

Even though he didn't answer, Melissa could read the answer on his face. Her eyes widened at the idea. "Okay, and what are we going to do if we come across it?" Melissa pointed out the obvious. "It's not like we can go after this thing with our bare knuckles."

Jonathan studied the paper in his hands, memorizing each marking he had made. "We'll kill it." He stated, his voice was low.

Melissa hesitated, tilting her head as she looked at Jonathan. "With our fists?"

Jonathan huffed out a laugh and glanced over at her. "No, I got something better." He jumped to his feet and started making his way towards the line of parked cars. Melissa and Nancy, immediately, followed after him. Jonathan got into a car that neither of them recognized as Joyce's, so it must have belonged to Lonnie. He shuffled around in the glove box for a few moments. Melissa saw a shiny reflective surface, only to realize that it was a gun.

"Uh, are you serious?" She blurted out, immediately looking around to make sure no one heard her. She stepped closer to make sure she was correct in what she had seen. And it was. Jonathan was holding a gun.

Nancy shook her head, feeling herself starting to go against their plan. "No, I don't think this is such a good idea."

"What do you wanna do then?" Jonathan asked, rummaging around the glove compartment for a box of ammo. "Yell at it, or take pictures, if we come across it?"

Melissa stepped back to allow Jonathan out of the car. "Yeah, but a gun? I think we should probably come up with a different strategy." Melissa eyed the weapon he was hiding behind his back.

"It's the only thing we've got right now. It's better than using our bare knuckles."

Melissa eyed her cousin, who then stepped closer. "No, this is a terrible idea."

"Well, you can try and tell someone, but they're not going to believe you."

"Your mom would," Nancy argued.

"She has enough to worry about."

"She deserves to know."

"And I will tell her after we kill this thing."

"And you're so confident that we'll be able to?" Melissa argued. 'We still don't know what _it_ is? And what if this gun doesn't even make a dent? Is our plan to just run like hell the other way?"

Jonathan thought on it for a moment before answer, "Yeah, maybe."

Melissa laughed in her own disbelief. This was insane, this was crazy. Melissa bit down on her lip, then stared down at the grass. This isn't their responsibility to hunt this thing down. The police should be the ones handling this. But, Jonathan was right. If they were to walk into the station saying there's some kind of monster out there, they won't take them seriously. Even though she didn't like it, their best option _was_ to go after this thing...just the three of them. Alone. "Fuck," she carted a hand through her hair. For a small moment, she felt like a scared kid because that's exactly what she is. She's only sixteen. She should be worried about finishing off the semester, not monster hunting. "If we're going to do this, we're going to need more than just one gun."

Jonathan gave an unsure shrug, "what's your plan?"

A Plan...right, what was her plan? They needed more weapons, one gun wasn't going to be enough. That's when it hit her. Melissa's father always kept a handgun in a toolbox in their garage. She's seen where he hides the key. Melissa nodded, liking how it was starting to unfold in her mind. "My father has a gun that I can retrieve." Melissa could feel Nancy's eyes on her, but she ignored it. "Nancy and I will...suit up, I guess. Then, we'll go out there and find this thing."

Nancy could stare helplessly at her cousin. Oh, this was a bad idea. They were in _way_ over their heads. "Where should we even start?"

Prompted by Nancy's question, Jonathan did a quick look over the makeshift map, then pointed at one of the markings. "We'll start near Steve's house, where you two saw it, then we'll branch out from there."

* * *

The three teenagers spent most of the duration plotting out their terrible plan. Melissa and Nancy continued to voice their doubt, however, neither of them could come up with a better plan. In the end, they reluctantly agreed to go along with it. They had agreed to go home after the services, then Jonathan would pick them up from Nancy's house. In the meantime, all of three of them were to gather as many supplies as they could, or as much as they saw fit.

By the time they joined the rest of the funeral goers at the church, Melissa and her family were ready to leave. Mike approached her as their family began to head for their cars, "Mel," he slowed down until he was walking beside her. "I need you to come over once you get home, there's new information we need to tell you."

Melissa nodded silently before ushering her cousin forward, having barely paid attention to what he'd said. "I'll see you there." She quickly whispered to him before getting into her parent's car.

Thirty minutes later, Melissa was sitting at the game table in Mike's basement. Eleven was laid out on the couch petting Harley who was laying down next to the couch. The teenager was spaced out, her eyes focused on the distance, completely lost in her thoughts about Barb and the absurd plan she, Nancy, and Jonathan conjured up after the funeral.

 _We're gonna get ourselves killed._ She wiped at her mouth and huffed out a breath. _This is the stupidest idea, ever._ Seriously, what were they hoping to accomplish? Right, to find a freakish being that's been hiding in the woods this entire time. Best part, she's not even sure how to stop the damn thing...they don't even know what _it_ is. She washed a hand down her face, a groan became stuck in her throat.

"Mel,"

She turned her attention on the three boys, who were standing on the other side of the table, all three of them staring at her with wide eyes. For a moment, she regarded each of them before shrugging her shoulders. "What?"

Mike rolled his eyes before saying, "did you hear anything of what we just said?"

"Uh," she paused, her eyes downcasting in her attempt to recall what the boys were talking about. Her damn thoughts kept taking her focus away. "I-I don't know." Each of the boys sighed, prompting her to give them a look. "Just run through it again for me," she gestured for them to do so. "I promise, I'll listen this time."

Mike held up a notebook that was showcasing a simple drawing he had done earlier. "We asked Mr. Clarke about alternate universes," he used a pencil to point out the different images. "The rope represents reality in general, and this is us." He moved to point at the stick figure, "We're standing right side up, this is our universe and we can go forward and backward, then there's the flea," her eyes moved to the small speck Mike was now pointing to. "A flea can go front and back, but it can also go upside down." Mike paused to glance at Melissa to make sure that she was actually paying attention this time. It took a moment, but she nodded for him to continue. "So, we asked him how we would get to the other side...the upside down."

"Right, so," Dustin took the reins at this point. "He said that we would have to create a massive amount of energy to create a tear in our reality, and that is how we create the doorway into the next dimension."

"Okay," Melissa nodded slowly, ensuring that she fully understood what the boys told her. "So, the only way for us to get there is to create a tear in time and space."

The boys nodded.

"Uh huh," she crossed her arms over her chest. Yeah, like that was a probable thing for them to achieve. "And how exactly are we supposed to do that?"

"Well," Dustin hesitated, then grimaced. "We're not exactly sure."

 _Of course, they wouldn't._ Melissa glanced over at Eleven, who was still busying herself with petting Harley. "El," the young girl tiredly looked up at her. "Do you know how to make a doorway to the upside down?"

Eleven shook her head.

Melissa nodded, then asked, "Do you know any other way to get there?" Again, Eleven only shook her head. Melissa could only nod quietly. "Figured as much." She leaned back in her chair and buried her face into her hands. This got them nowhere. It only brought on more questions and confusion.

"What are supposed to do now?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know," Melissa spoke, her voice muffled behind her hands. She centered herself, feeling every bit of exhaustion wash over her. "But you boys are not to do anything."

"Oh, come on!" They all complained.

"Uh, excuse me?" She tilted her head to the side, effectively silencing all three boys.

"He won't get found in time if we are always just staying here," Mike raised his arms, gesturing around them in the basement. "We want to help… we need to help."

"I get that Mike, I really do. But I'm keeping the secret about El from everyone. I should have been the responsible one and told your mother, but I didn't. I can't let anything happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to us," Mike replied, his voice going quiet, he wasn't even sure about the validity of his own statement.

Melissa stared down at her watch, leaning up in her seat when she saw the time. She needed to meet with Nancy in less than an hour. "Listen, I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Dustin asked her, his brows furrowed in questioning.

Melissa grabbed her coat and slowly shrugged it on. "I have something that I need to take care of. Besides, I'm the adult, remember? Which means I don't need to tell you anything if I deem it unnecessary."

"Well, that's a really unfair, shit thing to do." Dustin's comment only made the teenager stare at him with her mouth open agape.

She shook her head and whistled for Harley's attention. He sat up and Melissa clipped on his leash, Melissa noticed the sad look on Eleven's face. "You'll see him again," she quietly assured the young girl. She turned to the door then stopped and slowly turned to look at the boys. "Listen, all I want is for you boys to be safe. If, by chance, you all go out for _some reason_ make sure to stick together and don't let anyone out of your sight."

All of their faces lit up, prompting her to smirk in response. They read between the lines. They were allowed to go and look for Will, so long as they stick together and not get themselves into trouble. As long as they abided by those simple terms, everything should be fine.

That's what she hoped for. However, as she stepped out of the Wheeler's basement, she felt like she had just made a big mistake.

* * *

Melissa opened the cabinet door, her eyes scanning for a faded, red toolbox. She moved other boxes until she found the red one, sitting at the back of the cabinet. Taking a moment to ensure no one was around, Melissa quietly pulled the box out and tucked it under her arm. She locked up the cabinet then snuck back into the house.

In her room, she packed the necessities: bottles of water, snack bars, and ammo. Melissa felt a chill run down her spine as she picked up the gun. She knew how to use it rather well. Chris had taken her to shoot empty cans, several times. Something that her parents never found out about, and she was happy to keep it that way. Knowing her parents, they would have a heart attack if they learned that she knew how to use a gun. Next on the list: getting out of her funeral clothes and into something more comfortable.

After shrugging on new clothes, Melissa zipped up her backpack and strode out of her room. Chris was in his room, Jessica and Laura were at a friend's house. She stopped outside his room and knocked on the door. "Hey, Chris?" She waited for a response and could hear a low hum. It sounded like he was sleeping. "I'm going out for a few hours, I'll be soon." She craned her ear to the door and could hear a small groan of acknowledgment. Melissa waited for another moment then quietly made her way downstairs. Harley was quick to greet her, his tail wagging excitedly, thinking that he was going somewhere.

"No, sorry buddy, you can't come with me." She gave him a pat on the head then headed for the front door. She opened the door and nearly screamed at the image of someone on the other side. Melissa inhaled sharply, effectively startling Steve, who was just about to knock on the door. Once she calmed down, Melissa stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I just," Steve scratched the back of his head, realizing how awkward it was for them to be seeing each other. "How was the funeral?"

Melissa could only scoff. "Like you give a shit." She pushed past Steve and started for Nancy's house, intending on meeting her on time. Thinking that Steve would take the hint and leave her alone. Of course, she was wrong.

"I'm not some heartless asshole, Hughes," Steve said, following after her.

She rolled her eyes at his insistence. "Heartless, maybe not. Asshole, definitely." She glanced back, seeing that he was following her, then paused to turn to him. "What do you want?"

Steve's shoes skidded against the gravel as he came to a halt. He wasn't prepared for her to stop so suddenly. "I was hoping to talk to you about something."

Great. "Well, make it fast, I have somewhere I need to be." She took another glance down at her watch, she had about five minutes to get to Nancy's.

Steve took a moment to eye her backpack, and his curiosity got the better of him. "What's with the backpack?"

"None of your business." She snapped. "Now tell me what you need to so that I can go."

Steve could only roll his eyes at her insistence but went on. "Have you noticed that Nancy has been acting a little...weird lately?"

Her entire body tensed. "What makes you say that?"

"I just visited her, seeing if she wanted to go see a movie tonight and she was just...acting a little different. I thought maybe you might know something."

 _Shit._ Melissa chewed on her bottom lip, trying to come up with something that would satisfy Steve enough to leave her alone. "Well, our best friend is missing, so excuse us if we're feeling a little odd lately."

Steve went quiet, which was rather surprising for her. He usually would have some sort of witty comeback. Instead, he looked a little solemn...guilty even for how he approached her. "Have the cops found any leads yet?"

"What does it matter to you, Steve?"

"Listen, you just said that I wasn't heartless. And you're right. I really wanna know. So, have they found anything yet?"

Melissa scratched at her forehead and huffed out a breath. "No, they haven't found anything. At least, I haven't heard anything new. They still think that she ran away, no matter what, I can't convince them otherwise."

"I'm sorry."

That was weird. Steve's apology actually sounded...genuine. Her eyes narrowed at him, unable to believe that he was actually being nice to her. She did admit not long ago that he wasn't heartless, still, he's been a real jerk about the whole situation regarding Barb. This whole thing, him being nice and considerate, it was making her feel a little uncomfortable. Melissa cleared her throat, "Yeah, well, I just hope that they find her soon."

"Are you alright?"

"Really, Steve. Do you really care?"

"God, Hughes I can be a good guy sometimes. You don't always have to treat me as the bad guy."

She took a step back from his little outburst. Then, her feet kicked at the gravel, feeling a little bad for jumping the gun. Since it was a rarity for him to be so nice, she decided to indulge in it a little. "I'm...alright, definitely not the greatest, but I'm managing."

Steve gave an exasperated nod, wondering why she always had to be so difficult. "Okay, good. I'll let you go then." Steve gave her one last look, then said, "see you later, Hughes." He didn't want to stay much longer, especially if it would result in an argument between them. Neither was in the mood for it.

Melissa remained frozen, watching as Steve walked down the street. That was probably their nicest interaction...ever. He ought to be that way more often. She shook her head, adjusted the straps on her shoulders, and began the trudge to Nancy's home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know, it's been eight months since I last updated and I am SO SORRY. I literally lost all muse for this story and I was having a hard time finding my way back. I was already about halfway done with this chapter so I trudged through it. It's not the best and I do apologize for that. But I'm hoping that my muse will come back full swing soon. ALSO, have you guys seen that season 3 will be released on July 4th?! I'M SO EXCITED! Hopefully, I'll have both season 1 and season 2 completed beforehand, but we'll see.

If you all would be so kind and drop me some comments. It would really help with my muse. Hope you all enjoyed it! Until next time!


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